KI: Challenge of the Fates
by brawlingwolf
Summary: 23 years have elapsed since Pit triumphed over the new lord of the Underworld and took his new place in Skyworld. But he was never meant to become what he is, and the Fates have tasked him with proving he's worthy of it, starting with dealing with a human who is convinced the goddess of light is a sham. Includes OCs, but no CanonXOC and Pit will remain single as usual.
1. Prologue: Visitor

Deep in the recesses of Skyworld's temple, the Palace in the Sky, was a chamber serving as the home of the realm's ruler. The moonlight from the skylight above, making up a large part of the ceiling, shone down onto a sleeping figure, resting on his side with the covers drawn up over him and under his arm, his wings spread gently as his tousled brown hair fell into his face. He wore a dark navy undershirt and shorts with a white cloth held in place around his right lower leg, the rest of his clothes folded in a pile on a table to one side of the room.

Without warning, he gasped quickly and heavily, his bright blue eyes flying open and he sat up quickly, panting as he clutched at his hammering heart. He scanned wildly around the chamber before calming down, letting his head hang as he brushed his hair back and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

"Dang it, Medusa…" he mumbled. "You don't even have to exist to torment me." Ever since he'd become the new god of Light at the request of Palutena's fading soul roughly a year previous after defeating the new lord of the Underworld, the Oracle of Darkness named Nemo, he'd been having strange dreams and nightmares had plagued him almost every night. He took a deep breath and looked around again, more slowly this time. Something still felt off, but he couldn't place what it was. He groaned and got to his feet, pulling on his sandals. He walked over to the rest of his clothes and pulled on the two white robes he usually wore. One was trimmed by a swirling gold design similar to the one he sported back when he first fought off Hades, and the other, placed over the first, was clasped over his right shoulder by a red gem set in a gold base and a brown line ran parallel to the hem that reached down to his knees, and the symbol of the goddess- or, in his case, god- of Light was tucked in close to the corner. He tied his belt around his waist and rubbed his eyes as he went out into the halls of the temple.

Strangely enough, there were no Centurions to be seen. He frowned and shook his head, making a mental note to inquire about their whereabouts in the morning. He personally didn't think he needed so many of them attempting to defend him- he could take care of himself. But that didn't change that they had disobeyed orders. He sighed and made his way to the chamber holding Skyworld's Gate, the door that he could use to travel to the various recesses of the world- to some extent. On the other side of the room was a raised platform with a small fountain of water. He spread his wings and flew up to it.

"Hey!" He blinked and immediately set himself into a defensive stance as he found a being standing on the other side of the fountain. "Who are you? What are you doing here?" The being turned around, and he gasped inwardly, shocked into silence by her beauty.

She was a pale woman with long, golden blond hair that fell down to her ankles, and her eyes glowed with a blue color. Around her head were several golden chains that met a red gem in the center of her forehead. She wore a pale, white-rosy dress that reached the floor with a blue drape of sorts over it and a sleeveless black turtleneck underneath. Strangely enough, she did not seem to have arms. Instead, she had sparkling white wings. A soft blue glow around her faded into yellow before disappearing. Her eyes were warm and inviting, and a soft smile found its place on her lips.

"Hello, Pit," she dipped her head, and her voice echoed softly. "Pit, young child who would become Lady Palutena's champion, the angel of Skyworld. And yet now, you are not an angel, are you?"

"W-what?" he stammered in an attempt to find his voice. "I'm an angel! Always have been. I mean, I… I know I…"

"You have become the god of Light," she finished for him. "You still bear the appearance of an angel, yes, but you can no longer be considered one. If you looked within yourself, you would find a god, not an angel." Pit blinked, unsure of what the big difference was.

"Who are you?" he asked again with a less accusatory tone. She remained silent for several moments.

"I've never had need of a name…" she began. "But if you must refer to me as some sort of identification, then… I am a Keeper of Destiny, in terms that you can understand. I work with Master Aeon and… to explain in a way you will comprehend, young master, I am charged with reaching out to a soul and setting its owner on the path of becoming an angel." Pit blinked.

"Master Aeon?" he dug into what seemed to be the database of information he'd gained access to when Palutena passed her power onto him. "The… god of Time?"

"He likes to refer to himself as more of an Overseer than a god," the Keeper replied.

"And… wait. You choose angels?" She nodded. "So, you're the reason I exist?"

"No," she disagreed. "I am the reason you were an angel for roughly thirty-four years. But I did not choose for you to become the god of Light, nor did I spark your existence."

"But… if I wasn't an angel, what would I be?"

"Human," she replied simply. "You would have grown into a human adult, gone through their life cycle, and died at some time later on. You would not have died when you reached five years of age."

Now this little piece of information was news to Pit.

"Wh-What?!" he demanded. "I… I died?!"

"Yes," she confirmed. "You were born as a human, but your soul was chosen once your life began to become that of an angel. You had to grow enough, learn the basics of life, before you could move on to Skyworld."

"Why don't I remember any of this?"

"When a soul passes from one realm to another, takes a new form, it loses the memories of its former life. There are exceptions, like your becoming the god of Light or the Oracle of Darkness taking over as the lord of the Underworld. Immediate reincarnation to the same form and being also avoids memory loss."

"Are the memories completely lost?" he wondered, and she shook her head, causing her hair to shimmer.

"No, but it need not concern you right now. The night will soon draw to a close, and there are things we must discuss." He nodded. "You are now the god of Light. Therefore, a new angel must be chosen to take your place."

"So… you have to choose a new human who will become an angel?"

"Yes. Your predecessor, Leale, was female, as will your successor be. I have already made my decision. I am merely here to explain to you what is happening and introduce you to your new follower."

"What about Kuro?" he wondered.

"The one you call Kuro… Do not forget the original name he was given."

"…Dark Pit…" he mumbled.

"Exactly. The one you call Kuro is not a true angel. He did not come into existence by natural means. He himself is not even a complete being, and, because of his existence, neither are you." Pit rested his hand on his chest for a moment.

"Because of our shared soul, right?" The Keeper nodded once again.

"Yes. We will not deny that he has preformed great feats and you may not be alive if it wasn't for him. But, when it comes to the cycle of angels, he does not apply. So, if you would, young master, turn your attention to the fountain's waters." He looked down at its surface, and she waved her wing over it. The waters reacted just as they would have if he had called upon them. "Your new angel will be named 'Elora.'"

"Elora," he repeated. "That's a nice name."

"As you may have guessed, she has not been born yet. But I will show you the humans that will beget her." The waters came into focus on a pair of humans.

Humans Pit knew all too well.

"What? No!" he protested. "You're telling me they're going to lose their daughter?"

"Yes," the Keeper agreed. "I have made my decision, Lord Pit. Trust me, we have our reasons for this matter."

"But… they already lost one! You can't do this to them, not after everything they've been through."

"Another will follow Elora," she told him. "And that will serve as the challenge we have set for you." Pit blinked.

"Challenge?"

"Yes, Lady Palutena chose you as her successor. But you were never intended to be a god, Pit. You must prove you are indeed worthy of being the god of Light. Should you meet and pass the challenge, we will acknowledge your place." Pit looked back down at the pool, his heart aching.

"Very well," he sighed. "Then I accept your challenge."

"Elora will come to you just after her fifth birthday. Now that you know who her parents are, I trust you will watch over them. Other than the Keepers and Master Aeon, you are the only one who knows her fate."

"I understand," he dipped his head.

"Very good. We will be observing your actions with great interest, Master Pit. I have no doubt you will pass with little trouble."

"Thank you."

"All right. Go and rest. Your dreams have plagued you, and you need to sleep." With that, she faded from his sight, leaving him alone in the Gate's chamber. Without a word, he trudged back to his chamber and plopped himself face down onto his bed without bothering to take off his robes or sandals. Everything the Keeper had said buzzed around his head like a nest of angry hornets. He had been human, Kuro wasn't considered an angel, and Elora's birth and death would only bring more grief to her parents. He had a hard enough time convincing her soon-to-be-father that he and Palutena were on the humans' side, but this wasn't going to help his case. He'd heard her soon-to-be-mother's prayers for weeks after Nemo had restored life to the world, pleading with the gods for an explanation as to why she had lost her unborn child, for consolation, for relief from the pain she and her husband had endured.

"What am I supposed to do?" he mumbled into his pillow. "It's not like I can just tell them. And what's this challenge?" He could find no answers. This Keeper had told him that he needed to sleep, but every word she said made it nearly impossible for him to do so. He laid there for several marks, going over everything in his head, until the first rays of the sun penetrated the darkness in his chamber.


	2. Chapter I: Training

"No, no," Kuro sighed and shook his head. "You have to re-center your balance! You can't just expect to reset your stance if you're jumping around like that!"

"But-"

"No 'buts.' This thing isn't even moving, and you're not hitting it!" He pointed at the training dummy he'd thrown together several years previous, and it was in dire need of repair. The Centurions observing the training session watched with amusement, finally able to play spectators without watching one of their own get his rear smacked around by their rather irascible commander.

Instead, they got to play audience to seeing Kuro attempt to teach Elora a thing or two about combat. As promised, she'd arrived in Skyworld as the newest angel roughly five years after she was born. Now, she had spent almost seventeen years in Skyworld and still had the coordination of a one-legged Skuttler.

Elora was an upbeat girl who rarely backed down from a challenge, leading to some long and heated sessions with her commander when she was in the right mindset. Her har was dark, though not as black as Kuro's, and she wore it in a high ponytail over her laurel crown while her long bangs framed her face. Her golden eyes sparkled brightly with mischief, and her skin was fair. Like her superiors, she wore a white tunic belted at the waist, though hers was clasped over her left shoulder by a pale green gem and the top hem was decorated in golden swirls. She wore a black undershirt and shorts and heavily strapped sandals with white sock-like pieces around her lower legs from below her knees to over her ankles. On her left wrist, she wore a leather cuff, and on the right was a white wristband.

She was armed now with a First Blade, the only thing Pit and Kuro had deemed safe enough for her to use without accidentally injuring someone and could barely sit still. Both of the brothers had noticed that she was incredibly strong, especially for someone of her size, but she had trouble channeling it and was almost too quick for her own good.

"I can do it, Commander! I know what I'm doing!" she argued. Kuro glared at her.

"Fine. String together several dash strikes, and land each of them!" he told her. She shrugged and grinned.

"Easy," she replied.

"Fine." He walked over to a spot on the platform they often trained in and the Fighters used to warm up. "Start here." She hurried over to it and readied herself. "On your mark… go!" She dashed forward and struck the dummy as she passed, then attempted a quick 180 degree spin on one foot almost as soon as she cleared it.

"Oop!" She fell flat on her abdomen with a thud, and Kuro sighed as she got back to her feet.

"You have to think things through," he scolded. "If you were actually in battle right now, you'd be finished. No one can guarantee that Pit or I will be there to save you."

"I don't need saving!" Elora argued and brushed the dirt off her tunic. "I can take care of myself."

"Prove it to me by taking down that dummy." Unfortunately, her second attempt ended just as the first had, and she grit her teeth as she heaved herself back up.

"It's not like the Underworld is attacking us," she muttered.

"Maybe not, but we have to be ready in case Nemo gets another dumb idea into his head and tries to take out the humans again. Pit can't handle everything by himself- that's why he needs us."

"And what about them?" Elora pointed at the Centurions, who all recoiled in horror.

"I've TRIED." Though Kuro's tone was harsh, he smiled a bit in amusement. "You think I'm joking? I'm even tougher on them than Pit or Lady Palutena was. And they still can't do much." He turned to the small crowd. "Well? Any of you want to try proving me wrong?"

Silence.

"I will!" a voice spoke up, and one of the Centurions came forward with awed gasps following him. Sure enough, he was a Centurion Knight, one of the best- for a Centurion, anyway. Kuro smirked and nodded.

"All right. If you can land more than two hits on me, I'll agree you've gotten better."

"Deal! Get ready, Commander!" The Centurion flew forward with its spear ready and swung it around. Kuro ducked and dashed back, firing a shot from his bow that hit home quickly. He followed up with several weaker shots, and the challenger went down in moments. He limped back to the group without a word.

"Wow," Elora mumbled.

"Well, maybe you're just too strong, Commander!" Another Centurion called out. Kuro turned to them and frowned, glaring in the direction of the voice.

"And I've been trying to teach you fools how to watch out for yourselves. Maybe Pit should stop bringing you guys back so often! If you're not going to toughen up and actually fight, then what use are you to Skyworld?!" Both the Centurions and Elora stared at him, stunned into silence by his harsh words. "It's out of my hands as to WHY you're here. But you should be grateful. Show it by improving your skills!" He paused and adjusted his tone from irritated back to authoritarian. "Well? With that said, anyone think they can take me on?" Again, silence.

"I can," a strange voice sounded, and Kuro turned around, his wings twitching with curiosity. What he found surprised him. A lone Fighter approached the Commander, dressed in the Light Team's armor as they usually wore in a Light vs. Dark match, and he brandished a Sagittarius Bow. The red-eyed angel blinked.

"Where are your buddies? You don't usually join in on our training sessions."

"It is my duty to serve the gods through the games," the Fighter replied. "And you, Commander Kuro, sir, are my opponent. I will better fight in our matches if I know how you have grown over the years. My companions haven't seen the logic, unfortunately, so I had to come alone. If you will have me, I will gladly challenge you." Kuro blinked again, taken aback. The Fighters rarely talked to him or Pit, and usually if they did, it was regarding a Light vs. Dark match. But he could see what the Fighter was saying, and he nodded.

"All right. Help me show these lazy bums what combat really is. But don't go crying when I beat you!" The Fighter smiled.

"I'm confident in my abilities, Commander. Don't assume too quickly that you'll win." Kuro chuckled and turned his gaze toward Elora.

"You'll probably want to find a good seat," he told her. She nodded and retreated to the sidelines as Kuro and the Fighter took up their battle stances.

"You may take first move, Commander," the Fighter offered. Kuro replied by dashing to the side and firing his bow. The Fighter nimbly dodged to the side of it and countered with a shot of his own, and it barely missed the Commander. Kuro ran in and pulled his bow apart into two short swords, bringing one up and the other down hard. Instead of blocking, the Fighter rolled back and shot another arrow as he got up, catching Kuro off guard and knocking him off balance. The Fighter's bow followed up and hit the angel straight in the side, sending him to the ground. Kuro fought off the shock of it and rolled over, springing back to his feet.

iWho is this guy?/i Kuro wondered and launched himself off his back foot, striking the Fighter with both blades. He fell back but sprung off his hands and regained his footing, and wasted no time in retaliating with an attack on his own. "Ooohs" and "Ahs" sounded from the spectators, shocked that their Commander was facing such a challenge- and possibly losing.

"Okay…" Kuro stretched and reset his stance. "No more playing around."

"So you were just playing too, eh, Commander?" The Fighter smiled. "I agree. It's time we got serious." Kuro spread his wings and propelled himself into the air, out of the range of the Fighter's melee attacks, and cast a power into his bow that would recharge his shots almost instantly. He wasted no time in firing a rain of arrows onto his opponent, but the Fighter set up a barrier that absorbed the shots and he returned the volley from behind it. Kuro spun and landed again, then sprinted up, and his bow hit the Fighter's with a loud clang. The Fighter merely smiled as Kuro panted and anger began to well up within him.

"I'm not going to lose this fight," he growled.

"What makes you so sure?" the Fighter replied. "It must be interesting for all your followers over there to see their Commander getting so horribly beaten like this."

"All right, that's it!" Kuro jumped back and readied his bow. "It's time I taught you your place!" He shot another few rounds, but the Fighter merely dodged and suddenly produced another weapon that knocked the Commander to his back and left him there, stunned. He blinked to clear his vision and found that the Fighter was now brandishing Palutena's Bow. He opened his mouth to speak, but found he was lost for words. The Fighter started laughing, and his voice suddenly changed.

"Still think we've grown apart?" He pulled off his helmet, and a gasp rippled through the audience. Pit turned around and grinned at his darker twin. "Whew. I needed that!"

"Pit?" He could barely believe what he was seeing. Pit, his reflection, his would-be brother, and the god of Light, was standing there in Fighters' armor, holding his hand out. Kuro grabbed it and Pit pulled him to his feet. "Wha… How? How did you… Your wings!" Pit merely continued laughing and summoned his staff in a bright light, then thrust the handle to the surface under his feet and a light enveloped him briefly. When it died down, it left him in his usual form Kuro had grown accustomed to: Golden laurel crown with matching longer leaves hanging from each side, his two robes, and his off-gold shoulder and wrist guards. His wings rustled gently in the breeze passing through Skyworld's islets, and his smile was bright.

Pit's words had been true. Kuro couldn't help but feel he and his twin were becoming more and more distant, especially when Elora came to Skyworld. Pit's duties were vastly different from Kuro's in the heavens, and the new god of Light spent most of his time in his temple, scouring the lands and keeping the Celestial Balance of Light and Darkness, Life and Death, in check. Their spars and matches became increasingly rare, and most of Kuro's time as of late had centered around Elora's training. But, he couldn't recall ever actually voicing his concerns to his companion.

"How did you know about that?" he wondered.

"Not much goes on in Skyworld without me knowing about it," Pit replied simply as he rested his staff against the ground. "I sensed something was bothering you, and I happened to overhear you mention it once." Kuro blinked.

"What, you're spying on me?" he shoved Pit playfully, earning a grin.

"It was out of concern," he replied and turned to the observing Centurions. "Why don't you all practice a bit? Elora?"

"Y-Yes, Lord Pit!" the young angel replied, standing straight at attention.

"Why don't you see how many of these dorks you can take out. Even if you're still having trouble, you should be more than a match for them!" He turned back to the Centurions. "And that's an order."

"Yes, Lord Pit!" Several voices called out within moments of each other, and Elora readied her weapon as she headed toward the center of the platform.

"Fly with me?" Pit asked of his brother, and Kuro nodded with a slight smile as they took off. Once they were a short distance away from the beginning battle, Pit spoke up again. "Look, I really am sorry about all this. It hasn't been easy for either of us since… since Lady Palutena passed."

"It's never been 'easy,' Pit," Kuro reminded him. "It's taken me years to finally wash off the stigma I was stuck with when I was created. And I know you've been trying to learn on the job of how to be a god."

"Now THAT isn't easy," Pit chuckled, though he frowned a moment later. "I mean… I can barely remember the last time I got a good night's sleep. I know I finished my training, and… I haven't seen her since- not really, though she does appear sometimes more as a memory, I guess. But the nightmares…" he fell silent.

"I can't always tell when you're going through one," Kuro said. "But usually, if they're really bothering you, I can sense it."

"And then you barge into my room and wake me up," Pit recalled.

"And you usually have this blank stare and look of horror on your face. It's… scary." Kuro paused. "Pit, seriously. What do you see in those dreams?"

"Medusa," Pit replied. "It's usually her. Sometimes Hades, occasionally Nemo… and all the bodies after he killed Hades. There's also some other guy I can't name… I've tried to find out who he is, but I always come up blank. Death, destruction, sorrow… Lady Palutena used to have prophetic dreams on occasion, from what I understand. And I guess there's no reason as to why I shouldn't too. But, one lesson she never covered was how to sort between what's a prophecy, what's a memory, and what's just a dream."

"And that's why you've been so tired lately, huh?"

"Yeah," Pit nodded. "Sorry. That's part of the reason I've spent so much time in the temple… I just don't feel like I have the energy to do much else but watch."

"Well, your combat skill is as good as ever," Kuro pointed out. "Even without your wings and your power as a god, you still managed to beat me. Though, I was going easy on you!"

"I know," Pit laughed. "Confusion hit you and you underestimated me. I just decided to end it before you could catch on."

"Yeah… so, you can alter your appearance that much? And your voice sounded different."

"Yep. I've been trying to explore what I can do with my power. I… remember what I told you about the Keeper of Destiny?"

"That she's got a challenge for you?" Kuro guessed. Pit nodded as they approached Skyworld's temple.

"Yeah. But she never elaborated as to what the challenge was." Kuro followed him into the temple until they reached the fountain in the Gate's chamber, and Pit waved his hand over the waters. "But… I think I figured out what it is."

"And what's that?" The black-haired angel inquired as the image of a young human male came into view, well built with blonde hair and golden-yellow eyes. "This guy? What could he do?"

"Listen." The young man stood in the center of a small crowd in a town somewhere in the Overworld. His voice was solid, low, but not the lowest Kuro had heard.

"My mother was imprisoned and nearly killed! My father was forced to fight her forces! I would have had a sibling, but it died before it even had the chance to live!" The boy was yelling with a grave and determined expression. What made matters worse was that the crowd seemed intent on listening to him. "Then, finally, they were given the child they had wanted." He paused and clenched his fists. "But NO! Despite my mother's pleas to the gods, to the heavens, to the so-called 'goddess of Light,' my would-be older sister was stolen from them when she was only five years old. Somehow, I've managed to survive, and I will dedicate my life to ending our slavery to the gods!" Several cheers erupted from the crowd. "The Underworld wants us dead! The Forces of Nature have tried time and time again to eliminate us! Where do we turn to? Who had we thought would protect us? The goddess of Light! The heavens! But still, we face the monsters of Hell. Our crops burn under drought. Our families and friends suffer from crippling illnesses. The goddess gives no care for us! It's time we stopped believing she will!" Again, more cheering, and Pit allowed the scene to fade from the waters.

"…Okay," Kuro let out a heavy sigh. "I know you left it unknown to the humans that Lady Palutena isn't… yeah. But what's this guy's problem?"

"I was afraid of this," Pit admitted. "A lot of what he said is out of my control. But the humans don't understand that- that's why they need to learn."

"And you think this is your challenge?" Kuro continued. Pit nodded.

"Remember the deal I made with Nemo? I had to prove that the humans are worth keeping around. If this little rebellion spreads too far, he'll see it as my failure and just continue with the plan he had before."

"Well," Kuro crossed his arms. "What are you going to do?" Pit didn't reply immediately.

"I'm going to head down there," he finally said. "Do my best to blend in with the humans and figure out exactly why they're agreeing to this. I don't want to force them one direction or another, but I may be able to point them the right way and hope they'll follow. And it starts with that boy. I think his name is Yoshua."

"I see," Kuro said flatly.

"So, while I'm gone, can I ask you to look after things here in Skyworld?" Pit wondered.

"Yeah, but…" the red-eyed angel gazed at his companion. "Should something happen, I'll go down too. I doubt it would hurt to have another person on your side, right?"

"Maybe," Pit agreed. "But Kuro, this is my challenge, and I have to face it."

"Two sides of the same coin," Kuro smiled. "Much as we may not like to admit it, I AM you, Pit. A part of you, anyway. Our souls are one in the same."

"I know," Pit returned the smile. "But still. I need to do this alone for as long as I can."

"I understand. But again, if I think you need help, I'm coming down and there's nothing you can do to stop me!" Pit chuckled and shook his head.

"Thanks, Kuro." Kuro nodded, though his smile faded.

"Wait… that guy said he lost his sister when she was five years old, right?" Pit dipped his head. "And he's… Would he be…"

"Elora's brother," Pit finished. "The Keeper said she was chosen to become an angel partly because of this challenge. I think that's what she meant." He sighed softly and turned toward the Gate. "And the sooner I get this sorted out, the easier it'll be."

"In other words, you're leaving immediately."

"Yep." Pit pointed his staff at the Gate, and it creaked open slowly. He turned back to the black-haired angel and raised his arm, and Kuro braced his forearm against it as the two grabbed hands.

"I'll cover for you," the Commander promised. "Just don't take too long. And good luck."

"Thanks," Pit replied as they released the grip. "You too. I'll check in when I can." And with that, he headed for the Gate and directed his power into his wings as he leapt into the open air above the Overworld.


	3. Chapter II: Earthbound

Pit flew out toward the town this Yoshua called home and landed just outside of its gates. He had been monitoring the situation the human was causing closely, and he hadn't been aware of the boy's twisted message traveling to any other areas so far. The young god hoped he could sort everything out before it spread any further.

Once his feet touched the ground, he summoned his staff once again and used it to altar his appearance if only slightly- a change of clothes and the disappearance of his wings. With any luck, he hoped, no one would guess at his being anything other than human. He'd scrounged through Skyworld several days previous and asked a few of the female Centurions to alter an outfit he'd found. They'd been quite curious as to why, but he hadn't disclosed his reasons. Nevertheless, they dutifully fulfilled his request, and now he was garbed in a simple, sleeveless off-white tunic with his usual belt around his waist, minus the buckle, and dark gray pants tucked into brown, closed boots. On his wrists, he wore thin leather cuffs. He wriggled his toes uncomfortably in his shoes for a moment as he tried to shake off feeling so anchored to the ground, but there wasn't much else he could do at that moment. Ignoring it, he headed into the village.

To his dismay, he was greeted by another speaker sharing Yoshua's message, though it wasn't the man himself.

"Must be one of his lackeys…" Pit mumbled as he approached the small crowd gathering around. The speaker was actually a young woman with nothing truly special about her appearance. But her voice was loud and clear.

"How many of you will continue to believe these lies?!" she went on. "We've known since the dawn of time that we cannot trust the Underworld. We've known for years that the Forces of Nature would soon see us dead! Who have we turned to in order to confront these armies that want to take our lives?"

"The goddess of Light!" some listener called out.

"Yes, the goddess of Light," the speaker agreed. "And it seemed, for a time, she actually wanted to help us. And yet, we still suffer under poverty, illness, and droughts, fires, and floods that destroy our land!"

"Ask Viridi about that," Pit grumbled under his breath.

"We plead for relief from these conditions, and what do we get? Suddenly the goddess's army comes down and attacks us! Though these attacks have ceased, we cannot ignore that they did occur. Tell that to all the people who lost their lives and loved ones because of it!" Guilt slapped Pit in the face as he realized she was referring to the three years when the Chaos Kin had control of Palutena.

"It wasn't her fault…" he said inaudibly.

"Yes, the conflict finally subsided. I'm sure we all know about that angel of hers suddenly switching sides again and fighting for us. Maybe the lord of the Underworld was defeated. But who cares?!" Her sudden tone shift made Pit jump. "Not weeks later were our cities being harvested for their souls! If the goddess truly cared for us, why didn't she do anything sooner? Hundreds of people died in a matter of weeks! And yes, those subsided. But even now, we cower in fear that the Underworld will rise again. We fear the day that the goddess decides to turn on us again. We are not her toys! We will not be treated as such!" Several cheers erupted from the crowd, and Pit found himself wanting to crawl in a hole and never come out. It took every ounce of his willpower to keep himself from leaping up and defending his lost goddess's name.

"So what will you all do?" Pit looked over and saw Yoshua himself approaching the speaker. "Will you continue to lie to yourselves and believe that the goddess is actually defending you? Or will you rise up and tell her we won't stand for this any longer?"

"You're making a mistake!" another voice called, and an elderly man with dark gray hair and slightly squinted blue eyes, walked over to both Yoshua and his follower. "The goddess has blessed us as she comes to our aid. When conflict arises with the Underworld or the Forces of Nature, she and her angel are the ones that come to our rescue!"

"Then why have we suffered so many losses, eh? Explain to me that, Ephram, if you would." The man, Ephram, sighed heavily.

"You and your little group of followers should look at the good, not the bad," he cautioned. "I know we've suffered due to the Underworld. But think where we would be if the goddess of Light hadn't intervened! We would all be dead or slaves to the lord of the Underworld. Is that what you want?"

"What I want is to rid myself of being a slave to anyone!" Yoshua replied sharply. "You're a fool if you think we need her to defend ourselves. It's time we stopped relying on someone who doesn't care at all about us." Pit grimaced, again fighting the urge to set them all straight. Loudly.

"You're the fool, Yoshua," Ephram said calmly. "I lament those brainless enough to believe your antics. It's one thing for you to believe it yourself, but bringing others into this nonsense? I'm sure, if the goddess is watching over us now, and I'm certain she is, then she must be beside herself with sorrow to hear your words."

"She's probably ignoring me, just like always," Yoshua said curtly. "Ignoring me, ignoring my mother, ignoring all of us."

_That's not true…_ Pit thought with a heavy heart. It finally hit him that yes, before, they had been right when referring to Palutena. But now, strangely enough, the "goddess" they spoke of was him. Yoshua was spreading the message that he, Pit himself, was simply turning a blind eye to the humans and cared nothing for them. He quickly chased away the thought that Nemo had been right twenty-three years ago.

"No… I refuse to give up," he muttered.

"Then I can see there is no point in my wasting any other words on you," Ephram said, his voice level. "May the goddess have mercy on you, Yoshua." Yoshua merely laughed as Ephram turned and walked off with several people in the crowd jeering at him. He ignored them and held his head high, and Pit could only wonder what the man had seen and done in his life that gave him such faith.

Lost in his pondering, he didn't realize that the crowd had slowly dispersed, and it wasn't long until he found himself standing there awkwardly with a few of Yoshua's lackeys watching him curiously.

"You okay there?" Yoshua wondered and approached him, and Pit felt a twinge of anger shoot through his body. He could only hope it didn't show on his face. "You look kinda lost."

"Lost in thought, I suppose," Pit replied. "Just…. Thinking about what you and that man said. You truly believe the goddess is against us?"

"Not so much against us as she just doesn't care," Yoshua explained. "Don't think too hard about Ephram- he's got some battles behind him, and I bet they kind of messed him up. He looks for anything to make up for battling the Underworld, wants to believe it wasn't pointless. And it wasn't- he saved lives. I guess he just wants to think there was some higher power helping him."

"I see," Pit mumbled.

"Well, what do you think?" the blond-haired youth asked, not unkindly. "You think I'm crazy?"

"No," Pit lied. "I… don't really know which side to take, or even if I want to. I've never really considered the goddess of Light, I guess." The words tasted like poison in his mouth. "Maybe you're right, maybe he's right. I don't know enough to judge between them, or even if it's my place to." Yoshua watched him in a moment of silence before he smiled.

"Huh. I like you. What do you call yourself?" Pit's mind blanked before quickly filling with panic.

"Like… my name?" he stammered, and Yoshua nodded. "Uh… I'm…" His mind raced, telling him that using his real name was probably a bad idea. "I'm Eleos!" he pulled from somewhere in the recesses of his brain.

"Eleos?" Yoshua repeated.

"Yeah. Eleos," Pit confirmed. Yoshua and his lackeys stared at him.

"All right then. Nice to meet you, Eleos. I'm Yoshua." Again, Pit nodded.

"Okay, then… Yoshua, do you think I could join your little group? I won't start speaking out like this, but… I want to know more about where you're coming from."

"Sure. The more, the merrier. We'll gladly have you." Pit could barely fathom that this kind and spirited young man was his immediate adversary. When it came to topics outside the goddess, or god, of Light, he seemed rather friendly. "And don't worry. We'll find something for you to do. Are you from around here?"

"No," Pit replied. "I just arrived a little bit ago."

"Not a problem. I'd show you around, but I've actually got to be somewhere. Maybe…" Yoshua frowned, thinking. "Meet me back here tomorrow at sunhigh? You can do a little exploring on your own until then." Pit nodded. "Great. See you then, Eleos." Pit waved as the youth and his companions headed off, and the speaker from before mumbled something to their leader that he couldn't understand. Once they were a decent distance away, he sighed heavily.

"Lady Palutena… what am I doing?" he said softly, hoping no one could hear. He started walking in a different direction, scuffing the dirt paths as he looked at his feet, and headed down a small road between several buildings.

But, suddenly, he was roused from his thoughts by a muffled scream, and he took off in the direction it came from. He turned a corner into an alley and found a man standing there, holding a knife toward the elderly woman he'd knocked down.

"P-Please," she pleaded. "Don't hurt me!"

"Than hand over everything you've got!" he growled. "That's a nice ring you've got there."

"No, please! Don't take my ring!" The man started toward her, but received a blue-lit arrow to the back that knocked him off balance. Pit ran forward with his bow split into blades and knocked the assailant back, forcing him to the ground.

"Don't you dare harass her," he threatened, pointing one blade at the thief.

"Wh-Where did you come from?!" he demanded.

"None of your business. Get out of here NOW." The thief scrambled to his feet and raced off. "Mugging a defenseless elder… that's just sick," he mumbled and turned to the woman, holding his hand out. "Are you okay, ma'am?"

"Y-yes," her green eyes stared widely at him, almost as if she were confused by his appearance. Her hair was graying, though still held traces of the brown color it once had. Her fair skin was wrinkling, and she wore a long magenta dress. She took hold of his hand and he helped her to her feet. "Thank you, young man."

"My pleasure," he smiled. "Did he take anything from you? Did he hurt you?"

"No, though I think the fall scraped me up a little bit. But really, I'm fine. Thank you… um… what's your name, if I may ask?"

iNo sense giving people different names,/i he sighed inwardly, but kept his smile.

"Eleos," he replied. "I'm Eleos, ma'am."

"Please, call me Helen," she insisted. "Please, Eleos. Let me thank you."

"There's really no need, Miss Helen," he told her.

"I insist! Even if it's just something simple. Would you join my husband and me for dinner tonight? I'll cook you my best. Please!"

"Um… All right," Pit grinned. "Thank you. That sounds wonderful."

"Something tells me you like food," Helen chuckled, and Pit nodded. "All right. Come by around sundown. Our home is just outside the main road, a little bit down the eastern street. I'll have my husband wave you over."

"That sounds great," Pit dipped his head. "Thank you."

"Thank YOU, Eleos." She waved as she headed off. "I'll see you tonight, then!"


	4. Chapter III: Child Lost

The sun had met the horizon and was slowly sinking behind it as Pit made his way down the side road Helen had directed him to. Sure enough, he found an elderly man waiting outside one of the homes, and he waved at the disguised angel. Pit picked up his pace and approached him, and found a surprise that this man was the same from the little speech earlier: Ephram. To Pit's dismay, Ephram seemed to recognize him too, as his expression shifted from friendly to surprised, then to on guard.

"You must be Eleos," he greeted, and Pit nodded. "Didn't I see you at Yoshua's little rally earlier?"

iNo sense lying more than I already have,/i Pit thought.

"Yes, but I was there more out of curiosity than anything," he replied. "He and his… I don't know, followers? They're pretty serious about this message of theirs, aren't they?"

"Yes," Ephram nodded. "But we can discuss it more later, I suppose. It's getting chilly out here. Will you come in?"

"Thank you," Pit dipped his head and followed the elder inside to a hallway with what appeared to be the kitchen on the left.

"I'm Ephram, by the way. Earlier aside, I can't thank you enough for saving Helen. I don't know what I would have done if she'd gotten hurt."

"It really was nothing," Pit insisted. "I heard a cry for help and I answered. I couldn't just ignore her."

"Good man," Ephram nodded.

"Do I hear Eleos?" Helen appeared from the kitchen holding a bowl, and her cheek was powdered with flour as she smiled warmly. "I'm so glad you came. Please, make yourself at home."

"Thank you," Pit smiled.

"I guess I can show you around," Ephram invited. "Though there's not much to show," he chuckled. "Down the hall are the bedrooms, nothing interesting. If you'll come through here," he led Pit into a great room, what appeared to be a living area on one side and a dining area on the other. "As you can imagine, this is where we spend most of our time. Feel free to look around." Pit nodded and started around the perimeter of the room.

"Ephram!" Helen called. "Will you come help me for a moment?"

"Be right there," Ephram hurried out to the kitchen, leaving Pit alone.

"This is nice," he mumbled. "But so different. Don't they like light?" Most of the living chambers and quarters in Skyworld were brightly lit through windows and skylights. It seemed here, however, that their light came from candles and small fires. It worked well enough, but it made him nervous to be around. He'd accepted long ago that after his and Kuro's run-in with the Chaos Kin, he wasn't going to just "get over" his fear of fire. Though he didn't remember much from the event, he could never forget the pain and agony of having his wings literally burnt off. Even then, without his wings, the memory of the pain made itself known in his back as he thought about it.

"Hey, Eleos, are you okay?" Ephram wondered, startling Pit. He turned around and nodded.

"Yeah, just… lost in thought, I guess. Sorry about that." He scratched his head.

"It's no trouble," Ephram replied. "Is something wrong?" Pit shook his head. "All right. Well," he set the plate he was carrying on the table to one side of the room- a simple wooden table with a festive red and gold cloth over it. Helen set another two bowls down and smiled at their visitor.

"Well, dinner's ready," she announced. "I hope you like a good roast!" Pit laughed.

"I'm not picky," he told them. "I'll eat just about anything." He approached the table, but glanced over to a small side table pushed up against the wall in the middle of the room.

He stopped and gazed at it. There was a small piece of cloth, a little wooden sword, and a dried rose sitting in front of a painting. He walked over to it and his eyes scanned the painting curiously. It showed two young adults, whom he assumed were Ephram and Helen in their younger days, and Ephram was holding a little boy, perhaps five years of age.

A chill made its way down Pit's spine as he observed the boy. He was grinning brightly when compared to the adults' reserved and dignified smiles. His blue eyes caught the light and shone, and his brown hair was tousled beyond help. He wore a pale blue shirt and brown shorts with sandals.

In his mind, Pit saw this same boy dressed in a white tunic with small white wings, holding a bow fit for his size- his reflection so many years ago after he'd rescued Palutena from Medusa after her first invasion of Skyworld.

"Who's this?" he wondered, turning back to Ephram and Helen. They both seemed lost in thought, shadows of grief evident on their faces.

"That was us and our son, a long time ago," Helen replied, and Pit turned back to the painting. "There was a traveling artist that came into town. He said he wasn't interested in painting the rich or divine. He wanted to create a piece that captured an average family, and he said he could see how happy we were…" Her voice choked, and she looked down.

"You have a son?" Pit wondered.

"We had a son," Ephram corrected. "But he fell ill just after his fifth birthday- not too long after that was painted, actually. We tried everything, but we couldn't save him… But I do not blame the goddess. She must have had other plans for him instead."

"That's what we've believed since," Helen agreed. "We both miss him terribly, but I won't turn grief into hate." Ephram nodded.

"He wanted to be like me," he went on. "I made that little wooden sword for him so he could practice and leave me alone when I was training. I was part of a militia back then, and I've gone toe to toe with some of the troops of the Underworld."

"He really admired you," Helen recalled.

"What was his name, if I may ask?" Pit asked, though he couldn't help but think he already knew the answer. There was silence for several moments behind him. "I'm sorry, maybe that was…" he found himself lost for words.

"His name was Pit," Helen finally replied, and Pit's mind blanked entirely.

"P-Pit?" he repeated.

"I know it's an odd name," Ephram chuckled. "And it wasn't ever one we were considering before he was born. But when we saw him for the first time, we both agreed it just seemed to fit."

"You know," Helen said hesitantly, "I can't help but think he would have looked like you, Eleos, if he had grown up."

"Haha," Pit scratched his head, trying to shake himself out of his thoughts. "Maybe even better- I'm not much. Uh, anyway… maybe we should eat?"

"Yes, I suppose we should," Helen smiled. "Before it gets cold!"

"That was delicious," Pit smiled as he headed outside. "Thank you."

"Do you really need to be off so quickly?" Ephram wondered. "There's so much we could discuss."

"I'll be in town for the next few days, at the very least," Pit replied. "Maybe we can find time to talk later. It was very nice meeting you both. I hope I'll see you around!"

"You too, Eleos. May the goddess's blessings be with you!" Pit smiled.  
"And you as well." With that, he waved and walked off, allowing the dam in his mind keeping his thoughts back to break, and they quickly flooded every corner. Once he was a decent distance away and he deemed no one else was around, he summoned his staff and shifted his form back to his natural state of being. He spread his wings and took off for Skyworld, drowning in everything his mind was trying to process.

_"You would have grown into a human adult, gone through their life cycle, and died at some time later on. You would not have died when you reached five years of age… You were born as a human, but your soul was chosen once your life began to become that of an angel. You had to grow enough, learn the basics of life, before you could move on to Skyworld… When a soul passes from one realm to another, takes a new form, it loses the memories of its former life…"_ Though the Keeper of Destiny had told him so much before, it just then hit him.

_I used to be human._ And perhaps, more than anything, he couldn't help but wonder: _Are Ephram and Helen really my parents?_ It all fit- their son's name, his appearance, the way he died. He could find no argument against it.

He went straight for the temple and made his way to the Gate's chamber where he landed before the fountain and braced his arms against it as he found himself breaking into a cold sweat. After a moment's hesitation, he waved his hand over the waters and found them talking in their living room.

"Helen," Ephram was arguing, "It's impossible! There's no doubt that Pit… that he died. We put him to rest."

"I know," Helen seemed close to tears. "But you saw him! Ephram, when he first came to my rescue, I… I thought it was you. He looked so much like you in your youth. He had your eyes…"

"And he had your nose," Ephram admitted. "But Helen, even if he was somehow alive… Eleos looked like he was in his mid twenties at best. Pit would be… what, sixty-one by now?"

"I know, but…" Helen's tears spilled over and she drew her legs up against her chest and rested her forehead on her knees, and Ephram put his arms around her. "I can't help it. You saw him… He had to be Pit!"

"Helen, my dear… I understand why you're thinking like this. But we have to accept that it was coincidence, as strange a coincidence it may be. Pit died. Eleos is someone else entirely."

And with that, Pit decided he'd had enough and allowed the scene to fade. His legs gave out and he fell to his knees and he grabbed hold of the fountain's sides in an attempt to keep himself remotely upright. And yet, everything was due to his shock. Though something in his heart wanted to go to them and tell them everything, to console their grief, no tears came. Yes, they were his parents. But he barely knew them, couldn't remember being their son. His earliest memories were when he was training with the Centurions on how to be a decent archer, when Palutena had been teaching him about Skyworld as his guardian. He'd never really considered her a "parent" due to his position as her servant, and he'd never truly considered if he even had parents.

But this wasn't the time to be thinking about his lost goddess, and he knew it. His mind worked to process everything, and it was giving him a headache. So, when he suddenly heard the doors to the chamber fly open, he jumped and fell over just as a glowing red arrow passed over him.

"That was a warning!" Kuro announced. "Get down here before I get mad!"

"It's just me," Pit replied and got to his feet and trudged over to the edge of the platform. Kuro lowered his bow in surprise.

"Pit? What are you doing back already?" he wondered. "You look awful. What happened?"

"I… I met my parents," the god of Light replied rather bluntly, and Kuro's jaw slacked open.

"Your… parents?" Pit nodded and half flew, half fell to the ground.

"Yeah." He quickly explained the day's events. When he finished, Kuro let out a soft sigh.

"Wow. I… Ephram and Helen, huh?"

"Yeah. Turns out I look a lot like Helen, though I have Ephram's eyes." He couldn't bring himself to call them his mother or father. "I just… don't know what to do." He shook his head. "But… I guess Yoshua should be my first priority. I've got to stop him before anything else." Kuro nodded. "And… Kuro?"

"What?"

"Will you come down with me? I don't think I'd be able to do all this without you. I need your support." Kuro nodded.

"Sure, I can do that." The red-eyed angel smiled. "But I hope you can hide my wings like you do yours!"


	5. Chapter IV: Reunions

Pit's dreams had been surprisingly peaceful the following night, and though he couldn't recall what they had been about, he remembered the warmth he had felt that seemed to chase away his usual nightmares.

The next day, he and Kuro had arrived back on the surface and Pit had changed both of their appearances as best he could. Though he could shift his own form well enough, Kuro had been a challenge, and the best he could do was hiding his twin's wings. He worried, even if only slightly, about the black-haired angel's eyes. Dark hair seemed common enough among the humans of the area, but he couldn't recall seeing anyone with the bright red eyes that Kuro sported. On a whim, he prayed no one would start raising questions, and Viridi's words from what seemed like another lifetime echoed in his head.

"_You're praying? To whom? You are one confused angel."_

"This feels weird," Kuro complained, shaking Pit out of his thoughts. "I feel so… heavy. This is even worse than not being able to fly."

"At least it's not as embarrassing," Pit chuckled. "I mean, at least without wings, we have an excuse." Kuro shrugged. "Anyway, I'm supposed to be meeting Yoshua at sunhigh, so we'd better get going." The red-eyed angel nodded and the duo made their way back into the small town as the sun crept higher into the sky.

"…Wait," Pit stopped, some strange sense overcoming him. Before Kuro could verbally question him, he glanced around and found a cloaked figure with a hood shadowing its face standing in the shadows of an alley a short distance into town. Not wanting to cause a scene, for once, Pit approached the figure casually with Kuro following a short distance behind him.

"Pit? What is it?" he inquired, but Pit motioned for him to quiet down and hoped he would comply for once in his life. Kuro snorted, but followed the order without question, and Pit returned his attention to the figure.

"You're a long way from home," he greeted, and the figure merely smiled and laughed softly, his red eyes shining with amusement.

"I could say the same to you, Lord Pit, Commander Kuro," he replied. "What brings you to the Overworld?"

"Wait a sec'," Kuro blinked. "Nemo?" Again, he chuckled and nodded. "What are you doing here?"

"I asked first," Nemo pointed out lightly.

"It doesn't concern you," Pit said a bit sharply. "So, tell me. Why are you here?"

"I figured I'd watch and monitor the situation," Nemo answered. "You're dealing with a man by the name of Yoshua, correct?"

"How'd you know?"

"I like to keep an eye on your progress," Nemo said simply. "See if you're holding up your end of our bargain. You said you'd prove that the humans can learn. Well…" he chuckled. "You've done a fantastic job, haven't you? What with this fool thinking that Lady Palutena, rest her soul," Pit couldn't resist flinching under Nemo's quick accusatory stare, "Was nothing more than lies. Much as that angers me, I know it's not my place to intervene- not yet."

"What do you mean?" Kuro inquired, and Pit could sense he was getting mad.

"I assume you're trying to smooth this little misunderstanding out before something worse happens." Pit nodded. "So, you're working under your beliefs, and I can't stop you as per our bargain. But should I deem you've failed to do so, and I have proof of such, then I'll be taking matters into my own hands."

"Give me time," Pit insisted. "I'll set him straight."

"I believe you," Nemo nodded. "But… I'm curious about one thing. I've been hearing him complain about the death of his… what was it, his would-be-older sister?"

"Right…" Pit agreed.

"I've searched the Underworld in an attempt to find her," Nemo went on. "But, strangely, I haven't been able to. I haven't done much with the Underworld Army since Hades destroyed it- just a few troops to deal with Viridi's mood swings." Pit couldn't help but smile a bit at the remark. "But I-"

"Hold on," Kuro interrupted. "Just enough to deal with Viridi? Viridi's been pretty quiet lately. So why have we seen your monsters out and about in the Overworld?" Pit blinked- Kuro was right. It was much rarer to see the Underworld troops outside of their natural habitat in recent years, but not unheard of, and they'd been inching closer and closer to Skyworld. Nemo didn't reply immediately and looked down, and Pit thought he saw a trace of shame on the new lord of the Underworld's face.

"Misbehaving renegades," he said simply. "I try to deal with them myself, but sometimes they slip by me. I apologize for the trouble." He seemed sincere enough, but Pit knew all too well that Nemo was a master of saying just about anything with a straight face. "Anyway, as I said, I was trying to find the girl's soul, but came up blank. I don't believe it was used as material for a Monoeye or something, and I doubt it could have faded so quickly. I thought about it for a time, and the conclusion I came to was that you're in possession of it, Lord Pit."

"More or less," Pit replied.

"Your new angel, eh?" Nemo smiled. "How ironic. How is she, anyway?"

"Tough," Kuro muttered. "Strong. Persistent."

"Inherited her father's traits, hm?" Nemo laughed. "He's a stubborn one. I should know, taking out so many of my troops!"

"Uh, yeah, about that," Pit scowled. "If it wasn't for your little crusade, I may not be dealing with this. Seems that's not the only thing Yoshua is angry about." Nemo tipped his head to the side.

"Oh?"

"It seems the oldest child in their family died before it was even born," Pit elaborated, and the aura of rage that Nemo suddenly emitted caught him off guard.

"Yes, I know!" he snapped. "It didn't matter if I restored its mother or not- she had been dead, unable to care for the child. I never meant for that to happen. I… that's one of two things I regret, other than losing to you." Pit softened his stance as he realized Nemo didn't even seem angry at him, but rather at himself.

"Nemo," he mumbled. "I'm sorry." Nemo sighed heavily.

"Do me a favor and watch yourself," he said rather cryptically. "I'd hate to see something happen to you or your angels." He glanced over to Kuro, who stared back in silence, before looking up at the sky. "You'd better get going." Pit looked up, then nodded.

"Yeah. See you around, Nemo." Nemo smiled a bit before disappearing into the shadows.

"I still don't like him," Kuro grumbled, and Pit snorted.

"It's going to take him several decades of decent behavior before I 'like' him," he replied as he walked out and back to the main road. "But we seem to be in some period of mutual tolerance. For now, anyway. But that'll change if I can't get Yoshua under control."

"Then let's go meet this Yoshua," Pit nodded again and picked up his pace as they headed for the central square. Sure enough, Yoshua was waiting there with a couple of his followers, and he was speaking with a large-built, middle-aged man, perhaps in his mid or late forties.

"You're making a fool of yourself," he was scolding in a gruff voice, and Pit blinked as he processed what he was seeing. Yoshua let out a heavy sigh.

"I'm doing this for you, Dad! You and Mother. You've suffered enough!" Yoshua argued. "The goddess doesn't care about us. You said yourself that you fought her troops!"

"It was a misunderstanding," the man replied. "And you believe the wrong side of it. Your mother and I have never blamed the goddess for what's happened."

"Even though it all broke the belief that she's meant to protect us," Yoshua grumbled. "That's what I believe."

"You're wrong. No, the goddess really does wish to protect us. There's so much you don't understand. The Underworld Army is-"

"Something she should be able to stop!" Yoshua interrupted. "I wish I could get you to understand, Dad. This is something I need to do."

"No, this is something you've convinced yourself is right and you can't understand the truth." The man sighed and shook his head. "Fine. If that's what you want to think, I'm done trying to convince you otherwise. But you need to stop dragging other people down with you."

"I'm saving them from being slaves to a thing that doesn't care about us." That comment slapped itself across Pit's face. To refer to Palutena as a mere "thing" sent his blood boiling.

"Don't you refer to the goddess like that," the man growled. "You're digging your own grave. One day, you're going to regret all of this. Every single part of it." Yoshua turned away, done with the conversation.

"So that's…" Kuro mumbled, and Pit nodded.

"We'll catch up to him later. I need to talk to him about all this."

"All right. Well then, let's go talk to this creep." Pit chuckled uneasily as he made his way over to Yoshua, who was still obviously angered by the encounter with his father.

"Eleos," he said curtly, then relaxed his tone. "Sorry if you just heard all that. My father is as stubborn as a mule, if not even more. I wish I could get him to understand." Pit nodded, and Yoshua looked over the disguised angel's shoulder. "Who's this? You two look a lot alike."

"This is Kuro," Pit replied, seeing no real need to mask his twin's name. "He's my brother. He takes after our dad." Yoshua nodded.

"It's a pleasure, Kuro." He held out his hand, and Kuro took it and shook it momentarily. "I'm Yoshua, as I'm sure Eleos has told you."

"He's told me plenty," Kuro agreed. "Now, look. I'm not saying I agree with you. I'm not saying I disagree. I just want to see where you're coming from and make sure my brother isn't getting himself into something stupid." To Pit's relief, Yoshua laughed.

"Don't worry, I'm entirely serious. And it's not like we're a cult that'll kill you if you decide not to stick with us."

"That's a relief," Pit said lightly. "So… what's your plan?"

"Hm… Can either of you use a weapon?" The angels exchanged a look, and they both nodded. "Great. I think there's a couple of townsfolk who've decided they hate us enough that they'll resort to violence if it means getting us to stop spreading my message. I've learned swordplay from my father, but some of my companions aren't as fortunate. There's supposed to be a rally near the temple at sundown, and I don't know if I'll be able to handle it by myself if a riot breaks out. But the message needs to be spread."

"So, you want us to provide security," Kuro guessed, and Yoshua nodded.

"You're pretty sharp, Kuro. Yeah, if you two are up to it. Don't provoke anyone- we'll stay peaceful if they do."

"But defend the speakers if necessary, right?" Pit asked.

"Right," Yoshua confirmed. "But be careful about it. We want to scare 'em away, not hurt anyone seriously. Can you do that?"

"Of course," Pit nodded.

"Great." Yoshua smiled. "Beyond the message, I hope we can be good friends in time, Eleos. You too, Kuro. Anyway, meet me at the temple before sundown, then? I'll tell you more then." Though his tone was friendly, something about his words told Pit that it wasn't so much of an option as it was an order.

"We can do that," Pit agreed. "Sundown at the temple."

"Excellent. See you then." With that, Yoshua turned and hurried away.

"Okay… so now we're body guards?" Kuro snorted. "He'd be falling down and groveling if he knew he'd just gotten help from the god of Light."

"And his second in command," Pit teased. "I know. But he's the last person I need knowing about that." He paused, his sense of humor being replaced by a serious feeling. "That's one thing we agree on, he and I. Neither of us wants to see unnecessary violence. I don't want to resort to that- that'd be pretty much confirming what he's been saying, plus it'll more or less break my agreement with Nemo."

"More or less?" Kuro repeated. Pit started walking and motioned for him to follow.

"I'm sure our Oracle friend would jump at the opportunity to find a loophole," he elaborated, and paused as he considered their brief meeting with his cease-fire adversary. "I don't know, Kuro… did he seem… distracted to you?" Kuro didn't reply immediately.

"Maybe," he finally said. "There's something about his troops that he's not telling us."

"One problem at a time, I guess," Pit sighed and picked up his pace as he saw the man who had been arguing with Yoshua before. It seemed that even after so many years, he was still as gruff as ever.

"Magnus!" he called out, and the man turned around in surprise.

"What?" he inquired. "Who's calling me?"

"Over here!" Pit called again as he approached his old ally with a smile on his face. "Glad to see you're doing well." Magnus stared at him for quite some time.

"Wait a sec'," he blinked. "Angel Face? Is that you?"

"Shh!" Pit demanded. "Yeah. How've you been?"

"What happened to you?" Magnus demanded, then lowered his voice. "Where the heck are your wings?"

"Hiding," Kuro replied bluntly as he joined them.

"So you two haven't killed each other yet, huh?" Magnus chuckled. "I guess that's a good sign. How's your goddess?" Pit's expression fell and he looked down at the dirt below. "What happened?"

"I'll tell you about it later," Pit replied dully. "I don't really want to talk about it." Magnus looked ready to argue, but he dropped it.

"I suppose you've heard all the nonsense that Yoshua's been spitting," he went on. "Is that why you're here?" Pit nodded. "What are you planning?"

"I just want to fix this," the blue-eyed boy replied. "I don't want anyone to get hurt. I just want to somehow prove him wrong." Magnus stared at him for several uncomfortable minutes.

"You've changed, Angel Face," he noted. "You seem a lot more serious than you were before. But… well, whatever. As long as you don't hurt my son for no reason, you've got my full support. And probably Gaol's too, if she knew you were here. She's really hurting."

"And yet he continues on with this stupid little revolution or whatever," Kuro scoffed. "We'll try to put a stop to it."

"But it'll have to be on Yoshua's terms," Pit pointed out. "Otherwise it's pointless, and I'll only be proving him right. Hang in there, Magnus. We'll get this sorted out."

"Of course you will," Magnus laughed. "You always do. You bring trouble wherever you go, but you know how to clean up your messes." Pit smiled and nodded.

"And clean it up I will," he agreed. "We'll see you around."

"Alright," Magnus smirked. "Good luck, Angel Face, Ptooey."

"Oop." Pit ducked as Kuro's face reddened with anger.

"Don't you DARE call me that again!" he growled. Loudly. "I'll put an arrow between your eyes, whether he," he pointed at Pit, "allows it or not. "My name is KURO. Okay? Get it?" Despite Kuro's outrage, Magnus laughed.

"Okay, okay, I get it. Kuro."

"Good." With that, Kuro turned and stalked off, not bothering to see if Pit was coming along. Both he and Magnus stared after him.

"Some things just never change, huh?" Magnus chuckled. "He's always going to have a short fuse."

"It's gotten longer," Pit said lightly. "But yeah. Eternally short. Especially when it comes to 'Pittoo.' I don't think he'll ever live that down." He grinned. "But whether it be Dark Pit, Pittoo, or Kuro, that's what makes him who he is."

"Yep," Magnus agreed. "You'd better catch up to him before he destroys a building or something." Pit laughed and ran off, waving goodbye as he caught up with Kuro before he broke something. Or someone.


	6. Chapter V: Conflict

The sun was sinking toward the horizon as Pit and Kuro made their way toward the temple built in honor of the goddess of Light. Though it annoyed the young god of Light that Yoshua was using it as his next stage, he figured he'd count his blessings that the misguided human wasn't trying to destroy it.

"Yet, anyway…" he mumbled.

"Did you say something?" Kuro wondered. He'd calmed down, at least as much as he was capable of, and shaken off the brief revival of his old nickname. Pit was thankful that, at the very least, his sour mood had passed as much as it was going to.

"No, not really," he replied. "Just thinking, I guess."

"Eleos!" The twins turned around at the call to find a pair of humans approaching them: Helen and Ephram. Pit's heart rate escalated quickly, and Kuro nudged him.

"Aren't they…" the black-haired boy trailed off as Pit nodded ever so slightly. Once the elderly pair had caught up with them, Ephram smiled.

"Good to see you again, Eleos," he held out his hand and Pit shook it gently. "Where are you headed?"

"The temple," Pit replied dully. Helen studied him for a moment before shifting her gaze over to Kuro, and a puzzled expression formed on her face.

"Who's this, Eleos?" she wondered.

"The name's Kuro," the red-eyed angel introduced, holding out his hand, and Helen briefly took hold of it as she continued to study him.

"He's my brother," Pit added.

"Your resemblance is striking," Ephram remarked.

"And you remind me of Ephram when he was younger," Helen said softly as she continued scanning over the boys, and Pit could tell it was making his companion uncomfortable. "So… you said you're heading for the temple?" Pit nodded. "We were on our way there ourselves. Shall we go together?"

"We're actually running a little late," Pit told them. "I'm sorry. I'd love to, but we're meeting someone there."

"Ah…" Helen seemed disappointed. "Maybe some other time, then. Travel safely, you too."

"And you as well," Pit replied. "Come on, Kuro." They turned and hurried off, but not fast enough for him to overhear Ephram's next words.

"See, Helen, he has a brother. There's no way that can be Pit…" Without a doubt, the words hurt the young god of Light, but he had no other choice than to keep up his façade.

"They seem nice enough," Kuro said, shaking Pit from his thoughts. "And I can see the resemblance. So I look like your father, huh?" Pit shrugged.

"Guess so," he replied. "I think it's your hair. His was pretty much black when he was younger, according to a painting I saw. Anyway, I think I see Yoshua." As they approached the clearing where the temple stood, he spied the youth holding a large sword over his shoulders. "He has his mother's looks, that's for sure, but it looks like his fighting style took after Magnus." Once they reached the clearing, another aura hit him and he scanned the area as Yoshua waved at them.

"What's wrong?" Kuro asked, and Pit sighed.

"We've got another visitor too," he replied curtly, and Kuro glanced around.

"Where?"

"There." Pit pointed to a figure, garbed in a dark cloak, standing near the entrance of the temple. Kuro blinked.

"How the heck did you even notice him?"

"He's my natural opposite," Pit said simply. "I'm Light, he's Darkness. If I get close enough, there's no way I can ignore him." Kuro nodded. "But we'll deal with him later."

"_That's not very nice," _Nemo's voice echoed in Pit's head_. "Don't worry, I won't be a bother unless I have to be. I just want to see how this plays out."_

"Can't you do that from the Underworld?" Pit inquired.

"_Yes, but this is more interesting,"_ Nemo chuckled. _"And besides. I wanted to see this temple, and there's a couple of humans coming this way that I want to meet." _Panic hit Pit like Cragalanche's fist.

"If you dare even try to hurt them…" he let it hang.

"_Oh, no, I would never. I just want to meet them. Thanks for the boon of trust, Lord Pit."_ For that, Pit had no answer.

"Having a pleasant conversation with yourself, Eleos?" Yoshua wondered as he approached the twins, and Pit stifled a sudden burst of laughter.

"Just thinking out loud," he replied. "Sorry that we're late."

"It's okay." Yoshua glanced up to the sky. "We've still got a few. I'm glad you both made it. Follow me." Kuro grumbled softly as they followed the young man toward a small makeshift stage that had been set up. He was civil enough when it came to orders from Palutena or Pit, to some extent, but he no less than despised it when someone, anyone, else tried to tell him what to do.

"Promise me you'll behave," Pit mumbled to him, both serious and joking.

"I'll try," Kuro replied flatly.

"_Have fun with your duties!" _Nemo called, and Pit sighed as he saw Ephram and Helen catch up and enter the clearing.

"Okay, guys," Yoshua began as a young woman with dark blond hair joined them. "This is Ruth. She'll be our introducing speaker, and I'll go after her." Ruth dipped her head.

"Thank you both for coming," she smiled. "I feel a lot better now that you're here to protect us."

"No problem," Pit mumbled, suddenly feeling ill with guilt. He was actually helping the people speaking out against him and telling their fellow humans that he didn't care one bit about them. But he'd backed himself into a corner and he wasn't getting out of it anytime soon, not without risking his life, perhaps Kuro's, or even Yoshua's.

"Ingrates!" a voice yelled, coming from a priest emerging from the temple. "Not only do you defile the goddess's name, but you insist on doing so at this holy place? May the gods have mercy on your souls!"

"He's right," Nemo spoke up and approached Yoshua's setup, though he kept his distance. "You, my young friend, are wrong." Yoshua snorted.

"What gives you the authority to tell me that?" he demanded.

"Because I know," Nemo replied simply. "You'd be amazed at the things the goddess of Light has done to protect you."

"Fool," Yoshua shook his head. "Who are you? What do you call yourself?"

"Nemo," he replied simply. "And you're Yoshua, son of Magnus and Gaol." It wasn't a question- he knew.

"Yes," Yoshua agreed carefully. "How'd you know?"

"I know a lot more than you're probably willing to give me credit for."

"O~kay!" Pit pulled out his bow, split it into the two blades, and hurried over to Nemo. "Enough of this. How can you be so sure yourself? Or is there something you're not telling us?" Despite everything, Nemo smiled.

"I suppose, Eleos. Forgive me, I wasn't looking for a fight. But I'm only trying to set these fools straight."

"You're not going to make any progress," Pit said in a softer voice. "So you'd better step back before something goes wrong. I'll handle this." Nemo nodded.

"I trust you will. But be careful where you step." With that, he retreated back to his place next to the temple's entrance, mumbling something to the priest.

"What was that about?" Yoshua wondered. "What was he talking about?"

"Nonsense," Pit shrugged, relaxing his stance. "I doubt he'll bother you anymore. For a while, anyway."

"Alright, whatever. We need to get started." He turned and nodded to Ruth as Kuro came to stand by Pit.

"That was… interesting," he mumbled, and Pit nodded. "I didn't expect him to speak up like that. What's he doing?"

"I wish I knew," Pit sighed. "I doubt I'll ever totally understand what he's up to." He lowered his voice further. "Maybe I'll have Levica keep an eye on him… If anyone would understand him, it's probably her." Kuro nodded. "Anyway, seems Ruth is starting." They averted their attention to the speaker as she took a deep breath.

"We are suffering," she began. "Droughts and fire plague our crops. There's always a rogue monster ready to attack us when we least expect it. Illness overtakes us, and no matter how we pray, beg, plead, the goddess refuses to help us! It seems there's no end to the hardships we must endure. Outside of the natural world, we deal with crime, scandal, murder! Are these not condemned in the teachings in that very temple, supposed to be the wishes of the goddess herself? Why isn't she doing anything about it?!"

"Because you humans have free will," Kuro muttered, and Pit silently agreed with him.

"And yet we continue on, praying, offering, sacrificing for the goddess. Why? We paint ourselves as slaves! We are turning ourselves into cattle bound for the slaughter! Is that what you all want?" Sure enough, she had attracted a small crowd at this point of people passing by and those coming to and from the temple. Pit noticed, glumly, that Ephram and Helen were among them, and neither looked pleased.

"No!" Someone called out, and Yoshua smiled.

"Why not?" Ruth replied.

"I just lost my wife," the man replied. "She didn't die, nor is she ill. She merely decided I wasn't worth her time and found some other man. If she won't follow the so-called 'teachings' of the goddess, why should I?!" Pit blinked.

"Why wouldn't she reach out to your wife and convince her otherwise? That's a good question," Ruth nodded. "I'm sorry for your loss."

"As am I," Yoshua approached her and motioned for her to step down, and she complied. "Tell me, sir, did you ask the goddess for guidance?"

"Many times!" the man replied, and Pit again felt the desire to crawl in a ditch and stay there for a few hundred years.

"And did she answer?" Yoshua continued.

"No!"

"Exactly," Yoshua nodded and raised his voice. "We beg for help, for aid, for guidance, for answers, but does she comply? No! I'm sure you all know about my family. My oldest sibling died before it was even born and my older sister was taken by illness just after her fifth birthday. Why did the goddess ignore my parents' pleas for her life?!"

"She had a greater role to play," Pit mumbled. "It was out of my hands."

"Yoshua, enough!" Ephram yelled. "You're a fool. My son passed away in a similar way to your sister. But that does not mean I've scorned the goddess! Perhaps she had other plans for your sister, as I believe she did for Pit." The words about broke Pit's heart, and he found himself thanking his late goddess for the man's faith. "Have you ever considered that?"

"The point is that my parents have suffered," Yoshua argued, dodging the question. "And I'm sure others have as well. I know they have! Who do we have to blame?"

"The goddess!" Someone else called.

"I can't believe this," Kuro growled. "Not only is he spitting this stupidity, but people are listening!"

"I know," Pit mumbled. "How am I supposed to convince him otherwise?"

"You could go up and royally kick his butt into next week," Kuro shrugged.

"That'd be proving him right," Pit sighed. "If I struck him down just for defying me, his followers would just assume it was out of scorn. And they may be able to convince other people too." He massaged his forehead.

"Yoshua," Helen spoke up. "You're provoking the goddess and slowly sealing your own fate. You may find yourself dealing with a harsh punishment later on."

"Let it come," Yoshua challenged. "She doesn't like me, so she'll kill me? Torture me into submission? Isn't that what she's done to us all?!" Mumbles of consideration, even agreement, swept through the crowd.

"…Oh," Kuro grumbled.

"Yep."

"Or you could be angering her due to your false teachings," the priest from before spoke up again. "Even now, as we speak, the goddess may be trying to find a way to solve this peacefully. But if you don't give her a chance, you may find yourself regretting it soon. If making an example of you is the only way to convince these people that you're wrong, then I would welcome her warmly." Yoshua laughed.

"Is that so?" He pulled up his sword and looked to the darkening skies. "All right, come on, then! Goddess Palutena, if you wish to prove me wrong, then do it now, however you see fit! Smite me! Send me to the deepest recesses of the Underworld!" Heads turned toward the heavens in anticipation, and some people ran from the crowd.

"I'm waiting!" Yoshua continued, raising his voice further. "Come on, now! Don't you care?" Guilt and anger twisted in Pit's heart, and he fought hard to restrain the urge to silence his adversary.

Nothing.

"Thought so," Yoshua chuckled. "Well, what do you think of that? She doesn't care. She's not worried about me. If anything, she's only proving me right!"

"Okay, that's it," Kuro growled, and Pit grabbed his arms.

"Kuro, no!" he said sharply. "Not here. Not right now."

"If you're not going to do anything, then I will!" the red-eyed angel threatened. "I'm not listening to another word of this. I've met some pretty idiotic humans, but he takes the top spot. Someone has to shut him up."

"I will, I will!" Pit insisted. "But this isn't the time. I need to build up my argument, not strike him down. Give me time!"

"Fine, fine. Then I'll just let everyone know I'm not affiliated with you," Kuro went on, still fuming. "Just let me go!" Pit rolled his eyes.

"Commander Kuro," he hissed softly into his twin's ear, "As your god and leader, I am _ordering _you to stand down. You will _not _harm that human." He could tell Kuro still wanted to argue, but he let it go.

"Fine," Kuro surrendered. "But if I hear another load like this again, then I'm not holding back." Pit released his arms and directed his attention back to Yoshua.

"I'm willing to debate," he was saying. "If you want to argue, come up here." Pit scanned around and saw Ephram come forth, making his way up onto the stage. Despite his age, his posture was strong and his eyes were bright, even defiant, of the youth. He glared at Yoshua before looking at the crowd.

"As I said, I lost my son in a similar way to the way Yoshua's sister passed. It broke my heart to see him pass. But I firmly believe that the goddess had a reason for taking him." He paused. "I've fought against the Underworld's monsters and defeated them, but I know that we couldn't have possibly won against them on our own. The goddess was and is protecting us from those monsters! Yes, we suffer droughts. But somehow, our crops are still plentiful and we still have water. Where did this come from?" Silence. "Would a goddess who cares nothing for us give us these gifts?"

"Maybe she's just toying with us," Yoshua replied. "Giving us false hope to crush later on." Pit sighed heavily and lowered his head, shutting his eyes.

"Viridi?" He called out. "Viridi! Can you hear me?"

"_Bluh… huh? Pit?"_ came the reply from the goddess of Nature. _"What's going on? I was sleeping! What do you want?"_

"Do you think you or Phosphora or someone could rain out this little rally? I'm worried someone's going to get hurt." The response was slow to come.

"_Oh, that's that insane little jerk who's been slandering Palutena."_ She sounded mad. _"I have half a mind to drop a Reset Bomb on him, if I could. Are you going to deal with him?"_

"That's my plan, but I can't right now," Pit answered.

"_Hm… All right. Hold your horses- I'll go wake Phosphora up and send her over."_

"Thanks, Viridi," Pit smiled a bit. "I owe you one."

"_You certainly do! Make it up to me by NEVER waking me up again!" _As Yoshua and Ephram continued their increasingly heated argument, storm clouds formed on the horizon and quickly overshadowed the temple and its surrounding area. A flash of lightning signaled Phosphora's arrival as rain began to pour down in torrents.

"Gah!" Yoshua pulled his arms over his head and looked up. "Great."

"We need to take shelter," Ephram told him. "This is over." Yoshua glared at him.

"Fine. But you haven't won yet, Ephram." Despite the soaking, Ephram smiled.

"Actually, I wouldn't disregard this being the whim of the goddess. Be careful, young man." With that, Ephram turned toward Helen and joined her in running for the temple's interior. Grumbling, Yoshua returned to his remaining followers and left without a single glance toward Pit and his brother.

"I guess that works," Kuro remarked. "But you owe me a dry change of clothes."

"I know," Pit chuckled as the rain chilled his body. He heard a splash of a forming puddle and turned to find Nemo once again approaching them. "At least you have that cloak," he greeted.

"It only does so much," Nemo replied. "It's not waterproof. I'm pretty soaked myself."

"Alright, where is he?!" Pit looked up as a light streaked down along with a lightning strike, and it approached them quickly. "There you are." Phosphora looked wet, mad, and sleepy as she landed. "Why'd you make me get up just to conjure up a thunderstorm?"

"All I asked was for a rainout," Pit pointed out. "And it's nice to see you too."

"Hmph," Phosphora sighed. "Yes, yes, hello, Lord Pit, Commander Kuro." It had been quite some time since Pit had last seen the Lightning Flash, as need simply hadn't arisen for a meeting. "And you," she turned and glared at Nemo. "I'm still mad at you."

"I'm sure almost everyone who has any idea what happened is," Nemo replied simply, even humorously. "Did you fry Vis too badly?"

"I wanted to," she retorted. "But Mistress Viridi said she didn't want to see him totally charred. Guess he's still important to the Balance and what not." Nemo nodded. "Not that you have any care in the world for it."

"Okay!" Pit interrupted before Nemo could get mad. "Anyway, Phosphora, thank you. I really appreciate this."

"_And anyway," _Viridi joined the conversation from her temple. _"Care to explain just what's going on with that human, Pit? We'd be better off just taking him out."_

"For once, I agree with Viridi," Nemo said. "He's becoming more trouble than he's worth."

"Okay, okay," Pit held up his hands. "Look, this really isn't the time for us to be talking about this."

"And I really don't see how any of you have a say in it," Kuro said sourly. "It's between Pit and Yoshua. I'm only here to support him."

"_It's becoming more than that,"_ Viridi replied. _"I've been keeping an eye on this. He's turning the humans on the gods- not just you, Pit. And if they decide to start taking action, then I'm fighting back full force. And if I recall correctly, the Underworld doesn't have much in the way of troops right now!"_

"I'd rather avoid full conflict," Nemo agreed. "I don't have the labor nor the desire to do that right now. Not unless I just finished them off myself."

"Wait, wait! Hold on!" Pit argued. "We're talking about ONE human! We're not at war."

"_Not yet,"_ Viridi corrected. _"And if you decide to get in the way, Pit, then you'll be facing my Children again!"_

"All right, look," Pit continued. "I don't want to worry the Centurions, otherwise I'd offer Skyworld. But, Viridi, can we all meet at your temple tomorrow evening? Then we can talk this out formally instead of arguing in the rain." No one immediately replied.

"I can do that," Nemo agreed. "A diplomatic approach may be necessary as of now."

"_Fine,"_ Viridi breathed. _"Tomorrow at sunset! Don't you dare be late! And Phosphora, you're dismissed. Go do whatever you want." _

"About time," Phosphora stretched. "See you all around." With that, she jumped up and sped back into the thunderheads above.

"And Lord Pit," Nemo called as Pit turned to leave.

"What is it?"

"I don't know how willing you'll be to accept this, but I just want you to be aware of my offer."

"And what, pray tell, is that?" Kuro inquired, crossing his arms.

"I'll gladly support you if it does come to war," Nemo said simply. "You're still fighting for your end of our bargain. I can't do much if Viridi is the one that throws it off. I don't have much in the way of an army, but I'll gladly fight at your side and command." Pit blinked. Nemo truly seemed genuine about the offer.

"Thank you," he nodded. "But we'll figure that out later. I just hope it doesn't come to war."

"Indeed," Nemo agreed. "Good luck, both of you. Go try and dry off." With that, he disappeared into the shadows and silence fell, save the sound of the rains that were slowly subsiding.

"…What just happened?" Kuro broke it, turning to his twin. Pit sighed and shook his head.

"We figured out more of Yoshua's angle and may have sparked a war," he replied bluntly. "I hope this meeting goes well. You'll come with me, right?"

"Of course," Kuro agreed. "What about Elora?"

"I'd rather leave her out of this right now," Pit admitted. "She's so headstrong, not to mention she's a big part of the reason Yoshua is so defiant… I don't want her to get involved unless absolutely necessary."

"That makes sense. Anyway, let's find some shelter. I don't want to fly in this weather!"


	7. Chapter VI: Tension

Back in their natural and true states of being, Pit and Kuro headed for Viridi's temple as promised the day before. Yoshua had been in an incredibly sour mood and was taking it out on everyone around him, cursing and claiming some greater power hated him.

"Finally, he understands," Kuro had joked, but Pit's mood wasn't much better. His nightmares had returned, and Medusa had been at full strength within them. On top of that, it seemed he'd lost what trust Yoshua had put in him, wondering if Pit was really open to the message against the goddess or not. The day had been nothing short of a wreck, and he worried this meeting would only make it worse.

They arrived at the temple and passed through the open gate, Pit landing lightly on his feet with Kuro doing the same moments later. Though the red-eyed angel had his bow with him, Pit had chosen to keep his hands free. He scanned the temple to find Viridi approaching them. He dipped his head.

"Good evening, Viridi," he greeted, and she smirked as she attempted to be friendly despite the reasons behind this meeting in the first place.

"Same to you, Pit." She glanced over to Kuro behind him. "Man, you two go everywhere together, don't you?"

"No one ever said it was only between the three of us," Pit pointed out. "And besides. This is discussing the possibility of conflict. The Commander of the Skyworld Army should be around to hear it."

"Beyond that, you know about what kind of connection we have, eh, Viridi?" Kuro continued. "You got a problem with me being here?" Viridi stared at him.

"I guess not," she shrugged. "And it's not like I didn't expect you to come." She turned around and mumbled, just loud enough for Pit to hear, "Pit always has to have his shadow close by…" Judging from the anger Kuro quietly emitted, Pit guessed he'd heard the remark too. But he was thankful that his twin wasn't being openly hostile about it. If anything, Kuro had learned when an irritated outburst was appropriate and when to hold it in, even if he took it out on a few Centurion Strongarms later.

A few minutes later, a dark-colored flame came through the gate and it quickly solidified into Nemo's form. He dipped his head in greeting, but Viridi scowled at him.

"I guess that's everyone," Pit began. "Well, you both know why we're here."

"Yes," Viridi turned her glare toward him. "So, what's your plan? What are you going to do with that human?" Pit opened his mouth to reply, but hesitated. "Do you even HAVE a plan?"

"My plan depends on his actions," he answered. "I need to hear him out and decide on a course of action. Somehow, I need to convince him to listen to me and understand that," his tone quickly became accusatory, despite his best attempt to keep it level, "Not everything he's complaining about is MY fault!"

"Excuse me?" Viridi demanded. "Just what do you mean by that?"

"You're the one that's been killing their crops and making them suffer without water. You let fires ravage their homes that you spark from lightning strikes, and I know some of the illnesses they've been complaining about are your doing." Viridi glared at him.

"Someone's got to teach them a lesson!" she argued. "I can't just let them keep destroying my Earth!"

"Your Earth?" Nemo echoed. "Last I checked, we're all responsible for maintaining it. No one being, mortal or divine, can claim it as his own."

"Don't you dare even speak to me," she growled. "You shouldn't be watching out for anything! Aside from Darkness, anyway. Illegitimate Underworld ruler…"

"You've got to be kidding me," Nemo clenched his teeth. "You've said it yourself: Survival of the fittest. I happened to be more 'fit' than Hades."

"You used us all in your stupid game!" Viridi went on, and her face was quickly turning red with anger. "All because you think you've got any say in things that don't pertain to you. You're an Oracle! Act like it!"

"Okay, fine. Tell me, would you rather have Hades back?" Nemo's pale face was flushing as well. "Would you rather have him harvesting souls and claiming our world as his own?" He didn't let her answer. "I've been merely overseeing the cycle of souls. I don't use them unless I have no other choice. I don't want the Underworld to be a feared Hell. I want it to have the same respect as the Overworld or Skyworld, if possible."

"Not using them, huh?" Kuro spoke up, but Pit knew he wouldn't listen to an order to quiet himself. "Then explain the Underworld troops we've been fighting off. Where are they coming from?" Nemo's gaze turned to him.

"I told you before: Misbehaving renegades. Not everyone in the Underworld likes me either." His tone was flat, even sour.

"Uh huh." It was evident Kuro wasn't buying into his story. "Hades said himself that he wasn't even sure they had brains. They wouldn't be moving so strategically unless someone was at command."

"You'd be amazed," Nemo replied. "I've been trying to craft them to be better- quality, not quantity."

"Why?" Pit inquired. "If you just want to keep the peace, then why do you need troops at all?"

"Defense," Nemo said simply. "I trust you well enough, Pit, but I can't say the same about the goddess of Nature here."

"What are you trying to say?!" Viridi demanded. "I'm doing what I think is best for me and my Children."

"Sending them into pointless battles is what's best for them?" Kuro inquired curtly. "Sorry, but I don't see any logic there."

"A few sacrifices are necessary to more forward," Viridi answered. "I want to teach these humans a lesson before they destroy the Earth!"

"That'll get you nowhere!" Pit insisted. "All this violence isn't going to solve anything. We need to actually teach them, not just punish them. They're just going to get mad if you attack them."

"He's right," Nemo agreed. "They won't learn by wrath."

"Which was hard enough to get you to understand," Kuro grumbled. "Took Pit kicking your butt for you to understand."

"I wasn't completely destroying the humans," the lord of the Underworld replied defensively. "I would have brought them back, unlike Hades or you, Viridi."

"They've become scum!" she hissed. "What's the point of keeping them around anymore? The world's better off without them!"

"What part of 'humans are the closest to the gods' don't you understand?" Pit said harshly. "They're quick to grow, and I know they can learn. They'll be capable of great things if they move in the right direction."

"But they're not GOING in the right direction!" Viridi pointed out. "They're too busy destroying the earth and each other. Not to mention slandering us. If they're so close to us, why don't they act like it?"

"You don't give them a chance!" the god of Light replied. "You push them away, punish them without explaining why, and refuse to help them along."

"I hate to ask, but would they even listen?" Nemo wondered. "I can't help but wonder if they're already too far off. I'm willing to give them a chance, but you have to show me results, Pit, evidence that they're capable of change."

"I know that," Pit said curtly. "I'm trying."

"Your 'trying' is pointless!" Viridi insisted. "Sure, one may listen to you, but others won't. Or they'll just want to fight you. Then someone'll come to your defense, and they'll be at war! I'm not going to watch another pointless fight between them. I'll sooner wipe them from the face of the Earth!"

"And yet you hate me for my actions?" Nemo glared at her. "So you'll do the exact same thing I did, but-"

"No, just the humans," Viridi clarified. "I'm not going to completely destroy everything!"

"I did what I thought was necessary," Nemo clenched his jaw. "All or nothing, Viridi. If you go after the humans, I'll be stepping in to stop you."

"So will I," Pit agreed. "But, Nemo, don't forget: If you go after the humans again, I'm coming after you!"

"One thing at a time," Nemo told him, and Pit's anger got the better of him. "First, we have to make sure they won't just be wiped out."

"Oh, what, so I wear down my troops and you have more souls to use?!" he accused. "I'll be busy fighting and you'll 'step in' every now and again. But I'll be doing all the work as usual, and then what? You hoard souls until you've got enough for some ultimate weapon?"

"When did I ever say that?!" Nemo demanded. "I'm trying to HELP you, Pit! I'm not Hades! I'm not going to waste souls senselessly! I respect them, unlike him."

"I know all too well that you're good at saying anything with a straight face," Pit growled. "If you care so much about souls, why did you nearly let Lady Palutena's be destroyed?"

"That was as much your fault as it was mine!" Nemo reminded him. "You think you can just play the valiant hero again, saving your precious goddess? You're the one that-"

"SHUT UP!" Kuro erupted, effectively silencing the three gods. He was fuming, fists clenched, jaw locked, face red, and his eyes burned. "All three of you. Shut. Up. Pit, seriously. You all need to stop picking fights. You want the humans to learn? I keep saying it, but no one wants to listen: Practice what you preach!" He paused, panting. "How can you criticize them for fighting when you yourselves can't seem to keep the peace for more than a few years? Are you any better than them?" Once his shock subsided, guilt crashed over the blue-eyed angel. He sighed and looked down.

"He's right," he said, his voice soft. "Nemo, I'm sorry. I hope you'll accept my apologies and forgive me for my anger. I didn't mean a lot of that."

"Apology accepted," Nemo nodded. "I know you and I still aren't on the greatest terms. But," he turned back toward Viridi. "You. Speaking as an Oracle, not as the lord of the Underworld, I've witnessed your actions time and time again. You can't just wipe out the humans with no intention of helping them." Viridi glared at him, though her immediate rage had subsided.

"Whatever," she said flatly. "Fine, Pit. You want to do something about that human, do it. But if you fail, then I won't hold back."

"I understand," he nodded. "And I have no intention of failing. I believe that I can restore his faith." Viridi simply stared at him.

"Great. Go do that, then. All of you, out of my temple before I get mad!" Pit turned to his companion, and they both headed for the gate as Nemo returned to his flame-like form. Once they took to the air, Pit let out a heavy sigh.

"Thanks for that," he said to his brother, who turned and looked at him.

"I just said what had to be said," he grumbled. "Like I've been saying for thirty years or so. I never expected YOU to be picking fights, though."

"My anger got the best of me, I guess," he admitted. "That was my fault." He sighed again. "I'm not sure if we just managed to avoid all out conflict or just delay it."

"I don't know either," Kuro shrugged. "But I think it's going to depend on how you handle Yoshua. If you manage to get that out of the way, then that should appease Viridi for some amount of time. And it'll seal your bargain with Nemo, won't it?"

"It should," Pit agreed. "At least, I certainly hope so. But…" He paused. "I'm still not convinced by his story about his troops. There's something he's not telling us, and I don't think it's because he's plotting something."

"He said there are even things in the Underworld that don't like him," Kuro recalled. "Maybe that's got something to do with it."

"Maybe," Pit frowned. "But loyalty down there seems to be shaky at best. I doubt anyone would get so worked up about Hades that they'd steal his troops. And besides, they would have struck already- it's been years."

"Perhaps we should pay a visit down there sometime soon," Kuro suggested.

"That may be an idea," Pit nodded. "But first, we need to deal with Yoshua."


	8. Chapter VII: Understanding

"Thank you, Eleos," Helen smiled as he set down a basket of corn, apples, tomatoes, and olives in her kitchen. "You too, Kuro. Would you like to stay for dinner?"

"That's kind of you, Miss Helen," Pit replied. "But we need to be on our way. But please, don't be afraid to ask if you need anymore help!" He and his brother both waved as they left her home, headed back for the market. They had found her buying various produce and the like from a few different vendors on the street, and Pit had volunteered to help her carry the heavy load home before the sun set behind the horizon.

"That was nice of you," Kuro remarked, not unkindly. Pit smiled and shrugged.

"Well, apparently I've been gone for over fifty years," he pointed out. "Might as well help out where I can. Though…" his smile faded. "I know nothing will make up for them losing their son." He sighed softly. "It's weird. I'm pretty much positive that she's my mother. Yet I don't feel any sort of real love. I want to help, but… caring about her and Ephram feels more like an obligation than a natural sense."

"Alright," Kuro cut him off. "Before you blow my brain cells again, let's get back to the market." Pit nodded and they picked up their pace until they reached the town's main street again.

"ELEOS!" Pit looked up to find Yoshua and a few of his lackeys glaring at him, and he was motioning for them to follow him into what Pit had deemed was a tavern or something similar.

"Here we go, " Kuro rolled his eyes and the two hurried inside.

"Okay, okay," Pit said as they approached the youth, hoping to curb his irritation away from his voice. "We're not late. What's all the yelling about?"

"Care to explain to me what you were doing?" Yoshua inquired, arms crossed and shoulders hunched. Pit blinked. "Don't look at me like that. With that woman! Helen!"

"I was helping her carry some food home," Pit answered. "What's so wrong with that?"

"That woman is married to the jerk Ephram!" Yoshua huffed. "Why would you possibly be helping her?"

"Just because she doesn't agree with you doesn't mean-"

"What do you mean 'doesn't agree with ME?'" he demanded. "Don't you mean 'doesn't agree with US?'"

"Yoshua, simmer down," Pit suggested. "Remember, I never said I'm completely on your side. I said I'd join your little cause here to learn more about your message. I've never said I agreed with it. I don't disagree with you," Again, his words took on the taste of venom, "But I'm still deciding."

"And after seeing how you were acting a few days ago at that rally, I wonder if it's really worth it," Kuro snorted. Yoshua glared at him.

"That wasn't my fault!" he insisted. "Ephram shouldn't have been arguing with me so much. And that one guy in the cloak- what was his problem, anyway?"

"From what I understand," Pit began curtly, "He had a lot of faith in the goddess. He's kind of protective of her." And yet, he contributed to her demise.

"And I doubt they liked that you were holding this little rally on the temple grounds," Kuro pointed out. "You were probably going to draw more adversaries than allies as soon as you decided on that location."

"I didn't ask you!" Yoshua growled, and one of his lackeys started whispering something in his ear. "Hrmph…" he grumbled. "You've got a point." He turned his attention back to the disguised angels. "You two seem like you're more against me than with me. Is that the truth?"

"What? No!" Pit argued. "I just don't agree with some of your methods. Openly attacking Ephram, even if it's not physically, isn't going to get you anywhere. From what I've seen, these people respect him. If you're going to keep treating him like this, of course, no one is going to listen to you!"

"And why do you even care?" Yoshua retorted, catching Pit off guard.

"Because you're harassing your elder," Kuro interjected. "No one is going to respect you if you keep it up. You have to be open to people, inviting. You can't scare them off."

"Though I can't say I understand why people are believing you in the first place," Pit agreed, then snapped his mouth shut.

Too late. Yoshua had understood every word.

"Are you really willing to join us?" Yoshua sneered. "What's your angle, Eleos? Why are you even trying to help me?"

"I… er… I don't want to see something bad happen to you," Pit sighed, and Yoshua stared at him before breaking down into harsh laughter.

"So which is it?!" he demanded. "Which do you care about more? Me or my cause?"

"Your cause," Pit replied. It wasn't a lie- he wanted this "cause" silenced.

"Then prove it to me." For that, Pit had no reply. "Yep, I thought so." Yoshua shook his head. "Fine. You think you can, come find me. I'm done with you right now." With that, he left and headed outside, though the two of his companions stayed behind.

"We've got things to discuss," one of them said, his voice void of emotion, and they walked away to sit down at a table.

"Great…" Pit massaged his forehead, sighing heavily.

"Go sit down," Kuro told him. Too tired to argue, Pit obeyed and took a seat at a table on the other side of the establishment, his elbows braced against it and his head in his hands. A few minutes later, Kuro came over with a mug of something Pit couldn't identify, though steam was rising from it. When he set it down, the blue-eyed boy realized it was a cup of hot cider.

"Thanks," he mumbled as he wrapped his hands around it, letting its warmth slowly spread into his arms. Kuro watched him for a moment as he took a drink from his own mug.

"You need a few minutes alone," he observed, and Pit nodded. "Alright. I'll be around if you need me." Pit nodded again and watched him go join a couple of other patrons in some sort of tabletop game. He looked blankly into his cider, as if the steam would suddenly give him all the answers he needed.

"Rough day, huh?" He looked up and jerked back, shocked to find Nemo sitting across from him. The lord of the Underworld had managed to hide the streaks of blue and black in his hair and his eyes weren't quite as red, though he was still paler than a ghost.

"Where'd you come from?!" he demanded.

"Uh… the Underworld? Outside? I'm going to guess you have a lot on your mind."

"You could say that…" Pit breathed, brushing back his bangs. "I think I've pretty much lost any trust that Yoshua had in me."

"I find it hard to believe he trusted you at all," Nemo replied. "I figured it was more because he's desperate for allies. Even if you never actually agreed with him, he saw it that you did."

"Yeah," Pit agreed. "That pretty much covers it." He paused. "I'm running out of options… one wrong move will send either him or Viridi into a rage. I don't need that."

"No, you don't," Nemo shrugged. Pit looked up from his cider again.

"So, what about you? What are you doing here?"

"I suppose I wanted to see if there's anything I can do to help," he admitted. "I don't know what I'll do if Viridi is the one that somehow breaks our bargain. I need to make sure you're the one that finishes this, one way or the other." Pit nodded slowly, and a thought came into his mind.

"Do you hate me?" he asked suddenly, catching Nemo off guard.

"Pardon?"

"Do you hate me?" Nemo didn't immediately respond.

"No," he finally replied. "I know it may seem otherwise, but I think the only one I've ever hated is Medusa… and the main reason why is because she wanted me to hate. I…" he paused. "Do you know about how the Oracles' emotions work?"

"Uh…" Pit shook his head. "I don't think so."

"Then let me explain. Take Levica, for example. Because of her element, her positive emotions tend to be amplified. It's not that she isn't capable of hate or grief, but they aren't as strong." Pit nodded. "Then there's Unda. It's not that one thing gets amplified over another, but her mood swings are drastic and unpredictable, even to her."

"Yeah… I've experienced that first hand," Pit chuckled.

"Onore, being Fire, has amplified emotions across the spectrum. He's not sort of happy; he's ecstatic. He can't be a little sad, but completely and utterly depressed. Then Vis… He's usually relatively calm, but… I suppose you could say he has a long fuse, but there's a very large bomb at the end. Should someone manage to get to the end of that fuse…"

"Boom," Pit surmised.

"Exactly," Nemo agreed. "Viridi and the humans have managed to get to the end of that fuse, and he's quick to hold grudges. That's just how he is. That's part of the reason why he made his home in the mountains: Humans can't and won't bother him up there, but he can't harm them either."

"I see," Pit nodded.

"Then there's me… Well, as Darkness is the opposite of Light and I'm the opposite of Levica…"

"Your negative emotions are amplified," Pit realized.

"Yes. Again, it's not that I can't feel happiness or something of the sort. It's just… easier to hate, easier to get mad, be upset or melancholy. Medusa encouraged that hatred in me." He paused. "Maybe that's why I don't find myself hating much- I don't want to give her the victory of molding me like that."

"And then that makes you seem almost emotionless," Pit pointed out. "It was rare that you ever showed any kind of feeling back when we were… fighting, I guess." Despite his words, Nemo smiled softly.

"Exactly. There were plenty of times I wanted to kill you, Pit. I still do. But it was never for personal reasons."

"Then why didn't you?" he wondered. "You specifically went to Kuro and saved him from Hades so he could, in turn, bring me back. You could have just let him finish us."

"I guess some part of me hoped you would join me in my cause," he replied. "Help me craft and lead a new world where peace reigned. If anyone could help me, it would be you."

"And… maybe under different circumstances, I would have," Pit admitted. "But I still stand by the same beliefs that I fought you with."

"I am aware. But…" Again, Nemo fell silent. "Maybe I wanted someone to oppose me. Maybe there was some subconscious desire to have someone who could take over if I failed. You defeated me, Pit, even without killing me. I respect you. And even if you haven't been truly acknowledged as such, I hail you as the god of Light."

"Thank you, Nemo," Pit smiled and took a sip of his cider.

"I can only hope you would do the same for me."

"Hm…" Pit thought it over. "I respect you as the Oracle of Darkness… and much as I hate to admit it, you've done an infinitely better job than Hades at keeping the Balance in check. But… I have a question." Nemo nodded. "Do you respect yourself?"

He didn't reply for quite some time.

"No…" he finally said. "Despite everything, I can't hide my weaknesses. Being an Oracle has never been more of a bother than it is now. But I hate my limitations, the control over me."

"You'll just have to learn to deal with it. It's who you are, Nemo. Use your strengths. Be aware of your weaknesses, but don't dwell on them, you know?" After several moments, he nodded.

"Yes… and you as well, Pit. Be careful about Yoshua, alright?" He stood up. "Believe it or not, I am rooting for you. Someone needs to set him straight, but you're the only one who would let him live." With that, he started walking away.

"Nemo," Pit called, and he turned around.

"What?"

"Thank you." Nemo merely nodded. "I… despite everything, I hope we can be friends one day." This brought a smile to Nemo's lips.

"Me too, Pit. I have a feeling that we would be already if it weren't for the circumstances under which we met."

"Yeah, probably," Pit chuckled. "See you around." With that, Nemo waved and headed out, and Pit took a long swig of his cider, allowing its warmth to spread from his stomach to the rest of his body. Between that warmth and his talk with the lord of the Underworld, he couldn't help but feel even slightly more at peace. He sighed, content, and closed his eyes for some time.

"Feeling better?" Kuro's voice roused him, and he opened his eyes as he nodded. "Good." He sat down across from his twin and lowered his voice. "Did I see Nemo here before?"

"Yeah," Pit replied and took another drink of his cider. "But nothing's wrong. In fact… I think I finally managed to set something right."


	9. Chapter VIII: Truth

Again, Medusa had plagued Pit's dreams during the night. She had spoken directly to him, showing him the ruined Skyworld shrouded in darkness; Kuro's fallen, bloody, and unmoving body; his own reflection chained up by his wrists, his wings ripped from his back, his bones broken, his muscles torn.

Needless to say, he'd woken up screaming.

Now, in the morning light that sent the small town stirring, he hoped, prayed, that what he had seen was only a nightmare and not a display of events yet to come. Kuro had sensed the turmoil his brother's subconscious had brought, but Pit refused to tell him about it. There was no point in worrying him when they already had enough to deal with. It seemed it was pure adrenaline that was keeping him awake and alert, fearful of what would come to his mind if he fell back asleep.

"Oh boy," Kuro mumbled, and Pit looked over to him.

"What?" he wondered, stifling a large yawn. Kuro simply pointed ahead of them, and Pit followed his gesture to find Yoshua coming toward them like an overconfident Orne, and the young god of Light felt the same chill of his survival instinct shoot up his spine as when he encountered one of the death-bringing spirits.

"He doesn't look happy," Kuro said flatly, and Pit nodded in agreement.

"Nope." After several awkward moments of silence, they met, and Yoshua certainly looked none too pleased. His golden eyes were narrowed, and Pit could sense the accusation in his glare. He had his weapon with him along with the same two lackeys that had accompanied him the evening before. His muscles were tense, and his voice was flat when he spoke.

"You. Come with me." And with that, he turned and started walking away, though his companions stayed to make sure the twins complied.

"I don't think we have much of a choice about this," Pit sighed.

"What was your first clue?" Kuro remarked, though Pit ignored his tone and followed the blond-haired youth back toward the temple to the north of town. Yoshua ascended the small stage that remained there after his last major rally and the storm, and he motioned for Pit to follow.

"Just him!" he snapped when Kuro attempted to join them. Pit glanced from him to his twin.

"I'm fine," he assured the red-eyed angel. "You'd better listen to him." He could tell from Kuro's expression that he wanted to argue, but he complied. Pit turned back and approached Yoshua carefully. The youth didn't speak as several of his other lackeys showed up, and a small crowd formed of the people that followed them. The blue-eyed boy couldn't help but notice that several faces he recognized were among them: Ephram and Helen to one side, and Magnus and who he deduced to be Gaol on another.

"What's this about?" he inquired, and Yoshua's eyes were harsh. "I'm not very good at public speaking."

"Oh, no," Yoshua mocked. "Don't worry. I'm not going to ask you to tell them all about how the goddess is a fool." Pit blinked. Something about his sarcastic tone made him nervous. "No… why don't you just go ahead and tell all these people what you REALLY think?"

"What… What do you mean?" Pit asked quietly.

"You were talking with another guy at the tavern yesterday," one of the lackeys said curtly, and Pit felt sweat forming on the back of his neck. "We heard you talking about 'setting Yoshua straight' and the like, that you've got connections with people that would rather kill him!"

That was it? Compared to everything else they could have overheard, that was nothing.

"Go ahead," Yoshua challenged. "Try to tell me what else that possibly could have meant. You're not open to my message. What are you, a preacher? You stand by the goddess, don't you?!" Before Pit could reply, he went on. "Alright, fine. Well, Eleos, if that even is your real name, why don't we try a little experiment?" To Pit's despair, he readied his weapon. "Let's see if the goddess will protect one so faithful to her."

"Don't you dare touch him!" Kuro all but bellowed, and a couple of Yoshua's men pulled him back to restrain him. Pit bit his lip, felt his muscles automatically tense and prepare to spring at any given moment.

"Well?" Yoshua continued. "You gonna get a weapon?" Pit shook his head, unable to speak. "Fine. Your loss." He swung the sword with a speed faster than Pit anticipated, but he nimbly jumped out of the way and rolled to the side.

"Yoshua, stop!" he demanded. "You don't need to do this!" Yoshua had no desire to listen to him as he struck again, and Pit rolled back and sprung back to his feet.

"Don't do this!" a voice called out, and, despite everything, he recognized it to be Gaol's. "Yoshua, please! Don't hurt him!" This did actually stop the youth for a moment.

"I'm making a point, Mom," he called back. "It's got to be done." He looked back at Pit and readied his weapon again.

"_All right, that's IT!"_ a voice echoed around Pit's head, perhaps alerting him of something. Quickly, he put several pieces together and scanned the skies within his mind.

"Elora?" As if to add to his problems, it seemed his newest angel had left Skyworld and was on her way there. That is, if she could fly.

"_I'm coming, Lord Pit! That jerk is going down!"_

"Elora, no!" he replied as he dodged yet another strike. "You're not- Ergh… You already left, didn't you?"

"Who the heck are you talking to?" Yoshua demanded, though Pit ignored him.

"_Um…" _Elora hesitated. _"Dang it. Lord Pit, help me!"_

"One of these days, you'll remember that you can't fly…" he mumbled and looked back at Yoshua. "I guess I can't keep this up any longer." Yoshua lowered his weapon briefly.

"What are you…" He didn't finish as Pit focused his power and thrust his hand skyward, a light briefly shining from it as he granted Elora the Power of Flight. And with that, silence gripped the air.

After several moments, Yoshua's expression shifted from complete shock to anger.

"What did you just do?!" he demanded. "What are you?"

"Uh…" Pit didn't have time to answer as Yoshua's sword came at him again. He dodged again, torn between evading the swordsman's strikes and directing Elora's flight path. But a few moments later, he heard a call from a distance, and a shot from a blade hit Yoshua and knocked him off balance. He looked up in the direction it had come from, eyes blazing.

"Don't you DARE hurt him!" Elora growled as she landed between him and Pit. A soft gasp rippled through the assembled crowd as Yoshua stared at her.

"What on… Cheh… Lookie here, Eleos! The goddess sent one of her great angels to protect you, eh?"

"I didn't exactly ask her to come," Pit replied flatly as the boy set up a fighting stance.

"All right, angel, let's dance."

"You moron!" she spat. "You absolute fool. I know some humans are idiots, but yeesh! What's wrong with you?!"

"What? You hate me?" Yoshua taunted. "Fine! Prove me wrong and strike me down!"

"Gladly," she spat as she readied her blade.

"All right…" Pit sighed, then sprinted forward as he summoned his bow. Yoshua's sword struck hard against it with a loud "clang," and Pit forced Elora back with a quick and weak blast of Light. "ENOUGH!" he yelled. "I'm sick of this. Elora, stand down!"

"But-"

"I said 'stand down.'" She lowered her weapon and dipped her head, and he turned his attention to Yoshua. "And you… Seriously. Enough of this." He could see the puzzlement on Yoshua's face.

"What reason would an angel have for taking orders from YOU? How did… who are you? What are you?" Pit sighed.

"Remove your sword and I'll tell you." He hesitantly complied and Pit lowered his bow. "Thank you." He took a deep breath and raised his arm, summoning his staff, and thrust the end into the surface at his feet. A light briefly enveloped him before revealing his true form, and he turned to Yoshua once again. The youth's mouth was agape and his eyes wide.

"Wha… how…" He stuttered over several other words but seemed incapable of forming a coherent sentence. The god of Light watched him for a moment longer before he turned to the rest of the small crowd and raised his voice.

"I am Pit, god of Light and ruler of Skyworld!"

He was all but sure he saw someone in the crowd faint, and a large portion stared at him with blank, disbelieving gazes. He turned back to Yoshua.

"The… god… of Light? But I thought… no! It's supposed to be the goddess of Light! Where's Palutena?" Pit sighed.

"She… something happened. I used to be the angel in her service, but… let's say she isn't with us anymore. I was her successor." Despite everything, he cracked a smirk. "And, by the way." He motioned for Elora to approach him, and she complied. "Yoshua, meet your sister. Elora, meet your brother." He looked back over the crowd. "Magnus, Gaol! Allow me to reintroduce you to your daughter." Elora's face blanked, as did Yoshua's, and Pit smiled. "Oh, come on, Yoshua. You two have the same eyes. Don't you see you dad? Not to mention she inherited his strength. It's kind of scary."

"My… sister?" Yoshua blinked. "You're… but you died!"

"I-" she tried to speak, but Pit cut her off.

"Trust me, Yoshua. I argued quite a bit against her becoming my successor as an angel. But the choice was out of my hands." His smile faded. "Gaol, I heard your prayers, okay? And it agonized me to be unable to help. But there are so many things that even I can't control, and the identity of my angel is one of them." He picked Gaol out of the crowd, and she appeared to be crying. Nevertheless, she nodded. "And that's something you all seem to forget from time to time," he went on. "I'm not the only god out there. I do everything I can to see your prosperity and protection, but I'm not all-powerful. Take the fires and famines you all keep complaining about- you can thank the goddess of Nature for that!" He shook his head. "With everything you've been doing to disrupt the natural world around you, she's kind of mad at you. You won't believe all the things I've been through to keep you all around and protect you from her, from the Underworld, even from each other!"

"What do you mean?" Yoshua wondered, and Pit turned to him.

"You humans start wars for the stupidest reasons. It's painful to watch." Yoshua opened his mouth to argue, but nothing came out. "Look, Yoshua, all of you. I care about you, and so did Lady Palutena. But there are things I can't always control. Even so, I do my best. So don't give me any reason to decide all my effort has been a waste!" Yoshua watched him a moment longer and swallowed before falling to his knees and bowing his head.

"L-lord Pit…" he could tell the boy was trembling. "I… I'm so sorry." He looked up. "You're the one who saved my mom, aren't you?"

"Your dad and I, yes," Pit smiled. "Come on, Yoshua. Stand up and be proud." Yoshua obeyed. "I admire your resolve, even if it was misplaced." He held out his hand, and Yoshua hesitantly took hold of it. "Just promise me you won't continue this nonsense."

"You have my word."

"Good." Pit released his hand and turned to Elora. "And you, young lady, are in a HEAP of trouble when we get home."

"But-"

"No buts. Don't think you're getting away with this." He turned back to the crowd. "Well? Nothing more to see here. Do what you will, but don't worry. I'll be watching out for you."

It took quite some time, but the crowd eventually dispersed save a few stragglers, and Magnus and Gaol joined Pit, Kuro, Elora, and Yoshua in front of the stage.

"Elora…" Gaol breathed. "I'm so glad you're okay." She wiped her eyes and smiled despite Elora's puzzled look. "Pit… er, Lord Pit, thank you."

"Eh…" Pit shrugged. "I've caused you both more than enough trouble."

"No kidding!" Magnus laughed and punched him lightly in the arm. Well, lightly for Magnus, anyway. "But you're right. You're good at cleaning up your messes." He turned to Yoshua. "I hope you've learned something from all this!"

"Yes, sir," Yoshua nodded.

"And Elora," Magnus went on. "I hope you're not causing much trouble up there." Kuro snorted and crossed his arms.

"I… er…" Pit sighed softly as he realized how uncomfortable Elora was.

"I'll be blunt," he interjected. "When a soul passes from one world to another, it loses any memory of its former state of being." They were silent for a moment.

"So… you don't remember us," Gaol realized, and Elora shook her head.

"Sorry…" the young angel mumbled.

"Don't worry about it," Magnus told her. "I get it. But Pit."

"What?"

"You'd better be strict with her! She was always a troublemaker when she was little."

"Oh, trust me, that hasn't changed," Kuro chuckled. "I've been keeping an eye on her."

"Oh, WELL then," Magnus laughed. Pit grinned and glanced around, and his smile faded as he saw two familiar faces still standing a short distance away.

"I'll… be right back," he told the small group, and, without waiting for an answer, left to approach them.

Both Ephram and Helen watched him carefully, and it seemed neither really knew what to say or do. Ephram's arm was wrapped tightly over his wife's shoulder, and she had her hands crossed over her heart. Pit stopped a short distance away from them and took a deep breath.

"P…Pit?" Helen said carefully, and he smiled as he nodded.

"I'm sorry I lied earlier," he told them. "That I didn't ever tell you."

"Pit…" Ephram breathed and approached him. "It… it's really you." Pit nodded again.

"My little boy…" with that, Helen's tears spilled over, and Pit pulled her tight into his arms. "You're safe… you're alive…"

"You're the god of Light!" Ephram laughed. "I knew you'd do great things one day, but wow. I never expected that." Pit's smile grew as he released Helen, and she wiped her eyes and turned to her husband.

"I told you it was him!" she grinned. "I know my son when I see him."

"All right, all right," Ephram chuckled and rubbed the back of his neck. "I was wrong. You really are our Pit." Pit's smile faded softly.

"I… I feel like I owe it to you to tell you that I don't remember my life as a human," he informed them. "But… in this short time I've known you now, I've come to really care about you."

"This explains why you were so shocked when you saw that painting," Ephram noticed. "Came as a bit of a surprise, didn't it?"

"Uh huh," Pit agreed. "And… I promise. I'll be watching over you." They fell silent.

"You're leaving," Helen realized.

"I've got to get back home," he confirmed. "But… here." He reached back and, wincing, plucked a feather from his wing and gave it to her. "So you'll always have a little part of the real me." Helen smiled and hugged him again, though he could feel her shaking as she sobbed quietly.

"Thank you, Pit…" She stepped back and placed her hand against his cheek. "Be careful, will you?"

"I will," he promised.

"Hey, before you go," Ephram prompted, and Pit looked at him. "What's up with that Kuro guy? He looks just like you."

"Eh…" Despite himself, Pit started laughing. "To make a long story short, he's my living reflection. But I'd rather think of him as my brother. He can be a bit rough, but he's got a good heart." Both his parents simply blinked and stared at him. "Uh… Yeah. It really is a long story. I wouldn't dwell on it too long."

"All right…" Ephram smiled and shook his head. "Well, glad you've got a companion up there in the heavens."

"And I'd trust him with my life." He looked back at the small group, and it seemed Elora was laughing. With a smile, he turned back to Helen and Ephram. "And… thanks for keeping your faith in Lady Palutena… and in me." Ephram rested his hand on the angel's shoulder.

"Always, son. Keep yourself safe, alright?" He nodded.

"I have to go," he said. "But don't ever doubt that I'm watching out for you." With that, he turned back toward his companions and, with a smile over his shoulder, hurried back over to them, and it wasn't long before the trio left, bound for Skyworld.


	10. Epilogue: Recollection

"Lord Pit!" Elora came running into the gate chamber within Skyworld's temple. Pit turned around from the pool and looked down at her.

"What is it, Elora?" he wondered. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," she panted and stretched. "Whew. Uh… Some bird just brought this scroll up here…" She held up a rolled up piece of parchment. "I figured it's a message for you." He dropped down from the platform he stood on and took it from her.

"All right. Thank you." Taking his words as a dismissal, Elora nodded and left him alone. "Hrm…" There was nothing on the outside of the scroll. It was plain, not even sealed or tied closed. He unrolled it and scanned over the note within.

_Lord Pit, I apologize for the unannounced message and I hope you are not busy when you receive it. I would like to speak with you about a matter I believe you will be quite interested in. Please come to my shrine near the entrance of the Underworld. _

–_Mneme. _

_P.S. I give my respects to Lady Palutena and congratulate you on your new position. I'm sure you will be a wonderful god of Light._

"Mneme?" he blinked. "Hm…" with that, he opened up his thoughts and sought out the Skyworld Army's commander. "Hey, Kuro. I've gotta go somewhere."

"_Huh? Since when?"_ Kuro inquired.

"I just got a message requesting my presence, I guess. I'll be back soon."

"_Uh, okay. I'll hold down the fort, I guess."_

"Thanks." Pit pointed his staff at the gate and it opened slowly, and a moment later he leapt into the air and spread his wings. Some time later, he approached the physical entrance of the Underworld and found a small shrine nearby, partially carved into the side of a mountain. He landed on a stone platform and found no small number of birds perched around him. They were the size of small hawks and colored many different hues. Their eyes were intense, but he found they did not gaze at him like predators. One flew down and circled around him until he held out his arm, and it perched gently as it watched him.

"Uh… hi," he blinked, and it looked behind itself before it took flight again and flew into the shrine. Pit followed, jogging to keep up with it. He ran through relative darkness for a short time before he came across what looked like a library, shelves with rails in front of them covering all four walls. They were all full of books, all totaling a number Pit likely couldn't have finished counting even in his eternal lifetime. He glanced around, awestruck, until the soft chirp of a bird caught his attention and he looked straight across the room to a desk. It was a simple, cherry-mahogany desk with curving legs supporting it. On its surface was an open book and what appeared to be a bottle of ink along with a perch for the bird that had led him inside.

Behind this desk sat what appeared to be a woman. She wore a long, dark red dress with gold accents and a headscarf of the same color that was held in place by a gold band around her head. Her sleeves were bell-shaped, and she wore a leather strap belt tied to the side and decorated with small beads. The dress opened to reveal a cream underskirt, and she wore no shoes. Her long hair was a warm brown color, much lighter than his, and she glanced up with hazel eyes. A soft smile appeared on her lips.

"Lord Pit," she stood up, holding her quill in her right hand. "Thank you for coming on such short notice. I hope I didn't tear you away from anything important."

"Not at all," he replied. "How can I help you?"

"Actually, I believe it is I who will help you," she replied. "Allow me to introduce myself. I am Mneme, the goddess of Memory." He blinked and looked around the thousands, even millions of books and tomes on her shelves. "Yes, Lord Pit, these are all filled with the memories of those who have passed between realms, and my collection is always growing. Memories themselves are never lost, and I record and watch over them."

"I see, I think," Pit said. "That sounds like a pretty tedious task."

"I suppose it is," she laughed softly. "But I enjoy seeing the world through the memories of those who have lived in it. And I'm sure you're a busy young god, so I won't keep you longer than I have to." She turned to a bird who flew over and perched on her shoulder and whispered something to it. It took wing and circled up through the room until it landed on a rail and used its beak and the talons of one foot to pull forth a book. It returned to her and she took its cargo from it. "Thank you." With that, the bird returned to its perch on her desk and she turned back to her visitor. "Lord Pit, do you have any idea what I have in here?"

"Uh… No, I can't say I do." Her smile grew.

"This particular volume holds your memories; not of your time as an angel or god, but your childhood as a human." He blinked in disbelief.

"My… memories," he repeated, and she nodded.

"Yes. And I've seen all that you have endured over your relatively short lifetime. I want to help how I can. So, if you wish, I can return your memories."

"You would let me read that?"

"No," she laughed. "I'll let you see it. Is that what you want?" His voice caught in his throat, and he merely nodded. "Very well. If you will, come here." He approached her and found he stood about half a head below her, and she drew her quill over the pages of the tome. The words themselves rose and created a small ball of light around its tip. "Close your eyes," she instructed, and he obeyed. She brushed back his bangs and touched the quill's tip to his forehead gently. And he found himself thrust into a world familiar and strange all at the same time.

He saw Ephram and Helen in their youth…. No. He saw Papa and Momma just as he remembered them. He saw the painter that had produced the portrait they still kept in their home. He saw Papa training with his companions and he wanted to join them, but he always told him that he was too young, too small. He held the little wooden sword Papa had made just for him, making him promise to be careful with it. He felt ill from the cough he'd developed. He saw Momma head out, return, and Papa did too. He didn't know where they went, and they tried to hide their sorrow.

And he heard voices.

"_Oh, Pit… what are we going to do with you? You're so curious." _

"_You're such a wonderful child…"_

"_I can tell, son. You're going to do great things one day."_

_Nuh-uh! You are, Papa._

"_Haha… No, I think the greatest thing I'll be able to contribute to this world is being your father." _

"_What are we going to do? What can we do?"_

_Momma, Papa… I don't feel good…_

_Momma? Why are you crying? What's wrong? _

"_I don't know what to do…"_

"_Please, great goddess! Don't take my son…"_

_Papa… Don't be sad…_

_Why is it dark? Where am I?_

"_Pit…"_

That voice, he recognized immediately.

_Who are you?_

"_I am Palutena. I've come to take you home."_

He opened his eyes, his heart aching from the swarm of emotions that raged within it as Mneme lowered the quill. He was trembling, and he found himself unable to speak.

"Are you all right, Lord Pit?" she asked gently, and his blank gaze focused on her. He merely nodded slowly. "Very well. I would assume you would like some time alone to consider what you've just seen." Again, he nodded. "Then be careful, milord. And please, come see me if you have any questions."

"Th-thank you, Mneme," he said in a shaky voice. She smiled, and he turned to exit the shrine. His flight back to Skyworld was more or less a daze as his mind worked to process what he'd just experienced, all the things he'd forgotten and remembered all at the same time. And, as he came to land near a large Hot Spring in his home, he found a new emotion in his heart.

Pure, innocent love that a child has for its parents.

As soon as he identified it, he slumped down next to the Spring, and he let his tears flow. Tears of joy, of sorrow, of grief.

Some time passed before his ears registered the sound of wings and someone landing a short distance away from him, and he didn't have to look up to know Kuro had come looking for him. He didn't say anything, to Pit's surprise, but simply walked over slowly and rested his hand on the young god's shoulder. Once Pit had collected himself enough to stand up, then Kuro decided to speak.

"So, you know everything now." It wasn't a question, but Pit nodded.

"Yeah," he replied in a shaky voice. "How'd you know?"

"I guess I saw little bits and pieces of your memories," Kuro said as he shrugged. "They really did love you, huh?"

"Uh-huh. And… I miss them."

"I'm sure." They both fell silent for some period of time.

"Well, I'm glad I know now," Pit said, and took a deep breath. "And-"

"_Lord Pit,"_ a voice from nowhere suddenly cut him off, and it took him several moments to register that it was the same Keeper of Destiny that had come to him so many years ago.

"Huh?"

"_You have performed exceedingly well. Lead the heavens with your strength, compassion, and wisdom, and may your reign be prosperous." _He blinked as the voice faded.

"She really likes being cryptic," he muttered.

"What was so cryptic about that?" Kuro laughed. "You're in. I think she was trying to tell you that you passed. You're officially the god of Light."

"Oh."

"Yeah, 'oh.' You can be such a dork." Kuro shoved him playfully. "Though I wonder what these past twenty or so years have been considered anyway. And seriously, what could they possibly have done if you didn't pass?"

"I don't really want to think about it," Pit chuckled. "I'm just glad I don't have that hanging over my head anymore."

"Yep." Kuro smiled softly as he looked up, and his eyebrows rose. "Hey, look." Pit turned to follow his gaze and saw what looked like a white and yellow fire coming toward them. Once it reached them, it solidified into a female form, and she smiled.

"Congratulations, Lord Pit," she greeted. "I knew you could do it."

"Thanks, Levica," Pit grinned. "And welcome home. I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been… I suppose you could say I've been studying a few things." Her smile faded. "I've sensed a dark presence lately, and it's not Nemo. It's had me worried."

"Don't worry," he assured her. "We'll take care of any threat that may come to be." He turned around and glanced at Kuro. "Right?"

"Are you kidding?" he laughed. "Between the two of us, we can take on anything that comes our way."

"I have faith in you both," Levica said. "Just… be careful. I'm sure you know I cannot see what will come in the days approaching."

"I know," Pit replied. "But we'll pull through. Just you wait!" Levica nodded.

"One more thing, Lord Pit."

"Yes?"

"I…" she hesitated. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Nemo has been acting strange lately. I can sense he isn't himself, and it has me worried." Pit pondered her words for a moment.

"Yeah, I've noticed," he agreed. "And I was actually going to ask if you could go check on him. He's probably not willing to let me in on anything, but maybe you'll have better luck." She dipped her head.

"That's actually what I was going to ask. Thank you, Lord Pit. I'll try to be back soon."

"Be careful!" Kuro cautioned as she resumed her spirit form and sped off toward the surface below. They both watched until she had disappeared from their line of sight. "You think she'll be okay?"

"Nemo won't hurt her," Pit assured him. "I just hope some good comes out of this."

"Me too. Now…" Kuro sighed. "I'd better get back to Elora's training before whatever's down there decides to start stirring."

"I'll catch up in a few." Kuro nodded and took off toward the training grounds, and Pit looked down toward the surface once more. "Lady Palutena… I hope none of these dreams I've been having are going to come to pass." With that, he spread his wings and headed to follow Kuro.

Nemo punched the floor beneath him, his teeth clenched as his body trembled with anger and hate. He looked up slowly, his breath coming in gasps and leaving in pants.

"Why am I so weak?!" he demanded, loudly, of the broken window above him that he'd never bothered to fix after Pit had smashed through it so many years ago. He forced himself to his feet, felt like he was moving through molasses. "Damn you, Medusa." He snorted as he felt his strength and power return to him. "You're heading for your own destruction. If you couldn't beat him before, then you have no chance now."

"You so sure of that, Lord Nemo?" A voice sounded behind him, and its mocking tone clawed at his ears. He turned around to face his visitor, a beautiful, blue-haired goddess that floated just above the ground with her arms and legs crossed. Her smile flirted with maniacal.

"You should know that more than anyone, Pandora," he growled. "But what makes you ask?"

"Oh, nothing," she scoffed. "You should loosen up. All that stress can't be good for you. Maybe you can try yoga?"

"What do you want?"

"Nothing," she replied. "I just wanted to see how our dear lord is faring. Don't worry; I'm not going to waltz off to help Medusa. I know all too well her record."

"Can't say I think you're all that loyal to me." He sighed as he regained his composure, but the anger was like a knot in his stomach. "But what is loyalty down here? You'll follow whoever's the strongest."

"My, you see right through us, don't you?" she laughed. "Well done, Master Nemo. Well, I'm sure you're going to be busy for a while. Ta-ta!" She winked and disappeared in a quick burst of blue fire. Once he was sure she had departed, he sunk into the throne on the side of the room opposite the door and rubbed his forehead.

"Rather her than Thanatos," he grumbled. "Well, Medusa, no one's expecting you to win… so why are you even trying?" For that, he had no answer.


End file.
